Pistachio Linzer cookies are a fresh take on the classic Linzer cookie. A nutty, buttery shortbread pairs with a golden pistachio caramel filling to create an elegant, delicious sandwich cookie.
I love making shortbread-style sandwich cookies like these Pistachio Linzer cookies. The dough responds well to hand handling, and forming and cutting the cookies is a relaxing, tactile process. This recipe yields a soft, easy-to-work dough that stays tidy and lends itself to flavor variations—here I used a thickened pistachio-infused caramel for the filling, but you can swap other fillings to suit your taste.
Key Ingredients
The full recipe is in the recipe card below. These are the primary ingredients and helpful substitution notes.
- Shelled pistachios – Toasting deepens the flavor, but raw nuts work if you prefer.
- All-purpose flour and granulated sugar – These create the tender, crumbly texture characteristic of Linzer-style cookies.
- Unsalted butter – Use cold butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Keeping it cold lets you roll and cut the dough without long chilling.
- Egg yolk – Adds richness and helps the cookies keep their shape and edges while baking.
- Milk – One tablespoon softens the dough and makes it easier to roll without making it sticky.
The Filling
While Linzer cookies traditionally use raspberry jam, these are filled with a pistachio caramel that’s been whipped with butter to a creamy texture. Pistachios have a delicate flavor, so choose fillings that complement rather than overwhelm them. Lighter caramel, honey, or mild nut creams work best if you want to preserve the pistachio notes.
Make It
A food processor is ideal here: it quickly grinds the pistachios and incorporates butter into the flour without overworking the dough. Below are practical tips and steps to keep the dough easy to handle and the cookies tender.
- Process the nuts briefly; overprocessing releases oil and makes the mixture pasty, which makes the dough hard to roll.
- Add the cold butter and pulse until no visible chunks remain—about 10–15 seconds—so the mixture resembles coarse, slightly moist sand.
- After adding the egg yolk and milk, pulse until the dough comes together. It won’t be perfectly smooth because of the ground nuts but should be soft, slightly cool, and easy to press without sticking.
- Work quickly once the dough is formed: roll it out on parchment, cut, and bake. If your kitchen is warm, wrap the dough and chill it briefly (or refrigerate up to 48 hours) so the butter stays firm and the dough remains manageable.
- Use any cookie cutter you like. The classic Linzer shape is round with ridges, but hearts or flowers make attractive variations.
Yields
This batch makes about 18 sandwich cookies measuring roughly 2.5 inches across, depending on your cutter size.
Making Ahead
You can prepare the dough up to 48 hours in advance and keep it chilled. For longer storage, freeze the unbaked cutouts in single layers and bake them straight from frozen—add an extra minute or so to the baking time. Wrapped and sealed, unbaked dough keeps in the freezer for up to six weeks; thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and cutting.
Storing and Freezing
Store assembled cookies at room temperature for up to three days or refrigerate for up to one week.
- Freezing – Freeze unfilled cookies for up to two months; thaw before filling. Assembled cookies with moist fillings can become soggy in the freezer, so freezing filled cookies is not recommended.
Pistachio Caramel Cookies | With Pistachio Cream
25
30
16 2″ double cookies
Dikla Levy Frances
Ingredients
Pistachio Cookies
- 1/2 Cup (75g) Toasted pistachios
- 1 2/3 Cup (200g) All-purpose flour
- 1 Stick (113g) Unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/3 Cup (70g) Granulated sugar
- 1 Large egg yolk, cold
- 1 TBS Milk, cold
Pistachio Caramel Cream
- 1 Cup Pistachio caramel
- 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted soft butter
Instructions
To make the cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place toasted pistachios in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Add the flour and sugar; process for about 15 seconds to combine.
- Pulse in the cold butter until the mixture looks slightly moist, like wet sand, about 15 seconds.
- Add the egg yolk and milk and process until a soft dough forms that presses together without sticking.
- Divide the dough in two and roll each portion between pieces of parchment to 1/3-inch thickness.
- Use a 2–2.5-inch round ridged cutter to cut shapes from the dough and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Cut a 1-inch round window from half of the cookies (a piping tip works well).
- Bake 15–18 minutes, until the cookies are slightly puffed and very lightly browned.
- Cool the cookies completely before assembling to avoid softening the filling.
Pistachio Caramel Cream
- Whip the soft butter in a bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add the pistachio caramel and beat until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble
- Fill a piping bag with the pistachio cream and pipe onto the solid cookie bottoms.
- Dust the windowed cookie tops with powdered sugar and place them over the filled bottoms to make sandwiches.
Notes
- Roll the dough as soon as it comes together. If it becomes warm or sticky, refrigerate until firm enough to work with.
- You can make the dough up to two days ahead and keep it refrigerated.
- Store baked cookies at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for up to one week.
- Freeze unfilled cookies for up to two months; thaw before filling and assembling.