Chocolate Linzer Cookies
Dipped in chocolate, these heart-shaped chocolate linzer cookies have all the traditional “spice” flavors of a linzer cookie: hazelnuts, citrus zest and and a little cinnamon, minus the jam usually sandwiched in-between. They’re pretty and oh so good!
Looking for a chocolate version of the classic linzer cookie? The combination of the semi-sweet chocolate and the orange-scented hazelnut cookie may be better than the original. Maybe I should try to mask my chocolate bias a little more, but I can’t help it; I’d take chocolate over jam any day! If you’re looking for the traditional jam-filled linzer cookie, these raspberry linzer cookies are the ones you’re looking for!
Which Cookie Cutter to Use?
You’ll need one large cookie cutter, approximately 2 1/2 inches across. The heart cutter I used was perfect for Valentine’s Day, but you can use any medium-sized cookie cutter you love to fit the time of year or mood.
Chocolate Linzer Cookie Ingredients
- Hazelnuts – You will start with whole hazelnuts and roast them to bring out their delicious flavor and also remove the skins. You can also substitute slivered almonds that have been toasted if you’d like.
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolk
- Orange zest
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate – You can use milk chocolate if you’d like for a Nutella-inspired pairing.
- Coconut oil – Mixing a little coconut oil into the melted chocolate thins it for dipping and helps it cool with a harder finish.
How to Make Chocolate Linzer Cookies
TOAST HAZELNUTS AND MAKE HAZELNUT “FLOUR”
- Spread hazelnuts in an even layer onto an ungreased sheet pan and toast in a 325 degree oven until fragrant and their papery skin begins to crack. This will take between 10-20 minutes total, depending on the size of your hazelnuts. Check them and give the pan a good shake after 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven or continue toasting for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer the toasted nuts to a plate.
- While still warm and working with half of the nuts at a time, rub hazelnuts with a clean tea towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry if you can’t remove all of the skins!
- In a food processor, pulse nuts until finely ground and slightly crumbly, being careful to not over-process into a paste.
MAKE LINZER COOKIE DOUGH
- Incorporate dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt) in a bowl using a whisk. Stir in the ground hazelnuts.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until pale and fluffy with a paddle attachment of a stand mixer or an electric beater. Stir in the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and the almond extract, scraping the sides of the bowl with a sturdy rubber spatula as needed.
- Gradually add flour mixture until just blended, being sure not to overwork the dough. The dough will be soft.
- Divide dough into four equal portions, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and press into a disc shape. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for at least 1/2 hour.
ROLL OUT & BAKE LINZER COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. These are delicate cookies and they will be much easier to transfer once baked if they are lined.
- Working with one disc at a time, roll out linzer dough on a generously-floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. You can also place the dough between two sheets of wax paper if you prefer to use less flour.
- Stamp the dough with the cookie cutter.
- Repeat with the remaining discs and re-roll all scraps to use up all the dough.
- Arrange cut-out cookies on lined cookie sheet, spacing them about an inch apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes, until just starting to brown around the edges and firm to the touch.
- Using a thin spatula, remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool completely on cooling rack.
DIP LINZER COOKIES IN CHOCOLATE
- In a heavy saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, melt chocolate with coconut oil, and stir until smooth and shiny.
- Pour into a microwave-safe wide cup or bowl. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the chocolate mixture, and place on a sheet of wax paper until chocolate is set. You may have to microwave chocolate/oil mixture a few times as you go to thin as it begins to set.
- Cool on wax paper until chocolate has fully set.
Mixing Things Up
- For “Nutella” Linzer cookies, swap out the semi-sweet chocolate for milk chocolate. It’s that classic combo of milk chocolate and hazelnuts.
- For a lemon-scented chocolate linzer cookie, swap out the orange zest for lemon zest.
- For a chocolate almond linzer cookie, use 2 cups slivered almonds instead of the whole hazelnuts.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE COOKIE RECIPES:
Chocolate-Dipped Mocha Cookies
Swedish Tea Rings – Classic Jam Thumbprint Cookies
No-Chill Cinnamon-Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
Ultra-Thin Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Cardamom Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Fresh Ginger Cookies
Chocolate Linzer Cookies
Dipped in chocolate, these heart-shaped chocolate linzer cookies have all the traditional "spice" flavors of a linzer cookie: hazelnuts, citrus zest and and a little cinnamon, minus the jam usually sandwiched in-between.
Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
Linzer Cookies
- 2 cups whole raw hazelnuts
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate Dip
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
TOAST HAZELNUTS AND MAKE HAZELNUT “FLOUR”
- Spread hazelnuts in an even layer onto an ungreased sheet pan and toast in a 325 degree oven until fragrant and their papery skin begins to crack. This will take between 10-20 minutes total, depending on the size of your hazelnuts. Check them and give the pan a good shake after 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven or continue toasting for another 10 minutes.
- Transfer the toasted nuts to a plate.
- While still warm and working with half of the nuts at a time, rub hazelnuts with a clean tea towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry if you can’t remove all of the skins!
- In a food processor, pulse nuts until finely ground and slightly crumbly, being careful to not over-process into a paste.
MAKE LINZER COOKIE DOUGH
- Incorporate dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt) in a bowl using a whisk. Stir in the ground hazelnuts.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until pale and fluffy with a paddle attachment of a stand mixer or an electric beater. Stir in the egg yolk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and the almond extract, scraping the sides of the bowl with a sturdy rubber spatula as needed.
- Gradually add flour mixture until just blended, being sure not to overwork the dough. The dough will be soft.
- Divide dough into four equal portions, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and press into a disc shape. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for at least 1/2 hour.
ROLL OUT & BAKE LINZER COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. These are delicate cookies and they will be much easier to transfer once baked if they are lined.
- Working with one disc at a time, roll out linzer dough on a generously-floured surface to thickness of 1/4 inch. You can also place the dough between two sheets of wax paper if you prefer to use less flour.
- Stamp the dough with the cookie cutter.
- Repeat with the remaining discs and re-roll all scraps to use up all the dough.
- Arrange cut-out cookies on lined cookie sheet, spacing them about an inch apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-13 minutes, until just starting to brown around the edges and firm to the touch.
- Using a thin spatula, remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool completely on cooling rack.
DIP COOKIES IN CHOCOLATE
- In a heavy saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, melt chocolate with coconut oil, and stir until smooth and shiny.
- Pour into a microwave-safe wide cup or bowl. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the chocolate mixture, and place on a sheet of wax paper until chocolate is set. You may have to microwave chocolate/oil mixture a few times as you go to thin as it begins to set.
- Cool on wax paper until chocolate has fully set.