These chocolate ginger Linzer cookies are an elegant, yet delicious and decadent holiday cookie. They are the perfect mix of a signature gingerbread flavor and the great texture of butter cookies. Complete them with a delicious chocolate filling and sugar ginger dust on top for an out of this world cookie that’s as beautiful as it is tasty. What more could you want in a Christmas cookie?
The punch of ginger totally elevates the chocolate and makes for a more complex and interesting flavor. Plus, they are SO pretty and festive for the holiday season! Make a batch (or several batches) for your holiday party, gift them to neighbors, or treat your kids’ teachers!
These Linzer cookies can be enjoyed for breakfast, with your afternoon tea, or after dinner for a yummy dessert. We guarantee you will make your family and friends very happy.
Linzer Cookies Recipe Tips
- For a different filling option, use raspberry or blackberry jam, which complements ginger and chocolate beautifully.
- Be sure not to overmix your dough recipe or your cookies will be crumbly instead of melt in your mouth.
- Although these seem like they take a lot of time, most of it is passive to let the dough and filling chill – don’t be intimidated!
- You can absolutely make these without a stand mixer. They’ll just require a bit more elbow grease.
Chocolate Ginger Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Sieve
what you'll need
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder sugarless
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp + 1 tsp ground ginger divided
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk or dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
let's do it
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup sugar and 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter. Whip at medium high speed for 5 minutes, until the butter it's pale, creamy and almost all the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, and whip at medium high speed for 1 more minute.
- Add the dry ingredients mixture to the stand mixer and beat just until cookie dough comes together, about 20 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Pat dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Divide dough in half and roll each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper until ⅛ inch thick. Place into baking sheets and chill for 1 hour minimum.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Remove carefully top sheets of parchment from dough and punch out cookies with larger cutters. Punch out centers of half of cookies with smaller cutters. You can mix and match different forms for the inside of the cookies. Use circles, diamonds, stars, christmas trees, etc. Make sure every cookie has a top and a bottom to sandwich the filling.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are set. Take out of the oven and allow to cool down completely.
- Meanwhile, melt your chocolate and mix with heavy cream. Chill in the fridge until needed.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon ground ginger. With a sieve, sprinkle over the top of cut-out cookies.
- Spread chocolate filling over whole cookies; top with cut-out cookies. Enjoy!
One Last Thing
Recipe and photos by Abril Macías.
