Two of the sweet treats I’ve wanted to make for a long while are Linzer cookies and cranberry orange curd. So when I saw another online baker combine the two ideas, I got excited!

Linzer cookies are very traditional. Hailing from Austria, they are a shortcut version of the Linzertorte, originally noted in 1653. Nowadays, this shortbread sandwich cookie with a peekaboo hole in the top is most commonly filled with raspberry jam.

This version, however, is comprised of a spiced orange shortbread filled with the most mouthwatering cranberry orange curd I’ve ever tasted! It’s possible I licked the spoon….several times. (Don’t worry; I washed it!)

These shortbread cookies are cutout cookies. Instead of flouring your surface and dough, I opted to use the wax paper method, rolling out the dough between two sheets of wax paper. And I’ll tell you now: I will never go back to the flour method! The wax paper made rolling out the cookies so much easier and cleaner than I have ever done, and it maintained the integrity of the dough, as I wasn’t continually adding more flour.

But first, we’ve got to make that mouthwatering cranberry orange curd!

Cranberry Orange Curd
(Original recipe: Bakes by Brown Sugar)

12 oz (340 g) cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1-1/4 C (250 g) sugar
1/4 C (60 ml) water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Zest of 2 large oranges
1/4 C (60 ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
8 TBSP (114 g) butter, room temperature

In a small bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks and set aside.

Place the cranberries in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop the cranberries.

Place the processed cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until it starts to bubble up and thicken, measuring 1-1/2 cups.

Strain the cranberry mixture through a medium-coarse strainer into a bowl, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much puree as possible.

Whisk eggs and yolks into remaining cranberry puree and return it to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and registers 175F.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until well incorporated. If desired, strain the curd a final time through a fine-mesh strainer.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd, and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours before using. The curd can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Spiced Orange Shortbread Cookies
(Original recipe: Bakes by Brown Sugar)

1/2 C (100g) granulated sugar
Zest of 2 large oranges
1-3/4 C (250g) all purpose flour
1-1/4 C (140g) almond flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 C (227g) butter, cold and cut into small cubes
2 egg yolks (40g)
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top

Place the granulated sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar until the sugar has turned a light orange and it’s very fragrant. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt to the bowl with the sugar. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until the ingredients are well combined.

Add the cold cubed butter to the other ingredients. Mix on medium low speed until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs, about 7 minutes.

Add the egg yolks and mix on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and starts to form a ball.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rectangle and wrap both in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.

Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.

Place your dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll it out to 1/4-inch thick. Peel the top piece of wax paper off, and use a 2-1/4 inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. In half of the circles, cut out the center using a miniature heart, star shape, or circle shape cutter. These will be the tops. For the bottoms, prick them with the tines of a fork (called docking).

Reroll the cookie dough scraps as much as needed to cut out additional cookies until all the cookie dough is used up. If the dough starts to get too warm and sticky, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes to cool.

Bake cookies on prepared cookie sheets for 10-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling.

To assemble your Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar. Set aside.

Spread 2-3 teaspoons of curd to the edge of each bottom cookie. Place the sugared top cookie on top and press together. Serve immediately.

The cookies can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. The longer the cookies sit, the softer the cookies will be become.