Swiss Linzer Cookies (Spitzbuben)

Linzer cookies are one of the best cookies ever created. So it’s no wonder that — although they originally come form Austria — the Swiss have created their own version of them called Spitzbuben, which means “mischievous boys”.

Ennis says: “Huh? First what’s a Linzer? And why mischievous boys?

Okay, let’s give everybody some quick answers to your two part-question. So, Linz is a city in Austria. A baker named Linz, who came from Austria, supposedly created the Linzer torte, which is a cake made out of a nut-flour mix and filled with jam. It is considered the oldest cake recipe in world and was discovered in an abbey in 1653. Some people say that it was a Franconian baker named Johann Konrad Vogel who created the cake and began mass-producing it in 1823; this is the origin story I prefer as I have a great-grandmother from Franconia 🙂

At any rate, miniature versions of the cake have come to be known as Linzer Tarts (here in America); Linzer Augen (in Germany); and as I’ve said, Spitzbuben in Switzerland. My dad says they are called mischievous boys because they make you want to eat more and more of these cookies, and then you have to cut another notch in your belt. But whenever he gives me a explanation like that, I do my. own research. My theory is that they are called Spitzbuben because “spitz” was an Austrian word for spies in the early 1800s and people might have associated that with the Austrian cake/cookie.

Ennis: Enough with the history lesson! Let’s start cooking!

Stimmt, bro! Okay, the first thing to know about this recipe is that in Switzerland you can finds version of the cookie dough with and without nuts. We like the extra level of flavor and the crumble you get from ground almonds, very similar to the Linzer torte dough. But if you are allergic to nuts you can leave them out and replace them with an equal amount of flour.

We also fill ours with apricot jam, as well as the traditional raspberry jam. Both are really delicious! You can experiment with other flavors too and tell us how they turned out.

Ennis says: Can I fill mine with Nutella?

You sure can, but you will loose the tartness of the fruit, which plays off nicely with the nutty cookie dough.

Finally, Spitzbuben we at one time eaten mostly around Christmas. But nobody actually wants to wait that long, so they are now eaten all throughout the year.

Ennis – “I could never wait that long to eat Spitchboben!”

It’s pronounced Spitzbuben Ennis. But yes, I agree. A year seems like a lifetime without these crumbly, nutty cookies that leave your fingers covered with sweet jam.

These cookies are our father’s favorites, and we’re sure that once you try them you will love them too! Happy Baking!

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a hand-held mixer), beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest or juice until it is light and fluffy.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, and salt.

Now, using a rubber spatula, mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

LECKER ALERT! Make sure you DO NOT OVER MIX because this creates a though, dense cookie.

Divide the dough in half and shape each part into a disk. Cover them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until firm.

Once the dough is ready, take out one of the disks and roll it out until it is about a ¼” thick.

Use a glass to cut out the cookies. You should have 16 rounds that are about 3” wide.

Once you have made all the rounds, use a small cookie cutter to cut out the center of exactly half of the cookies. These will be the tops, and the ones without holes will be the bottoms.

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Put the cookies on a baking sheet and cover the cookies with plastic wrap. Put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

LECKER ALERT! Freezing the cookies before baking prevents them from spreading and losing their shape.

Once they are solid, put them in the oven and bake them for about 8-10 minutes. These cookies can burn very easily, so pay close attention to them, and take them out as soon as they are golden brown.

When the cookies are finished baking, let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cooled, spread the bottom cookies with a fairly thick layer of jam, leaving a small edge. The traditional filling is raspberry jam, but you can fill them with other jams such as apricot.

Now sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on the top cookies.

Put the top cookie onto the bottom cookie and lightly push down.

All that’s left to do now is enjoy!