The best cookies from Linz: a simple recipe

Roll the traditional Linz dough into a roll. Gradually sift the smooth flour over it through a sieve i sugar. Sprinkle vanilla sugar and grate into the base butter on a coarse grater. Add yolks (ideally from home-made eggs) and lemon juice.

Create a smooth dough with your hands, into which gradually incorporate all the flour on the roll. As already mentioned in the introduction, proceed quickly and do not knead the dough too much. Once combined, wrap it in food film and let it sit in the cold for at least two hours, ideally until the next day.

On a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a sheet approximately 2 to 3 millimeters high. Cut out circles, flowers, stars or hearts from the rolled out cake. Don’t forget that half of the shapes must have another shape cut out in the middle!

Place the cut-out shapes on baking paper on a baking sheet, set the oven to 180 °C, hot air to 165 °C. And now the most important thing – baking. The moment you see the edges starting to turn just a little golden, take them out immediately, ideally a second before that. It should take about 7 to 8 minutes.

Divide the cold Linne into halves – depending on whether they have a hole in them or not. Place the perforated ones next to each other and sprinkle with powdered sugar. The full ones spread with marmalade from the side that lay on the sheet. Don’t skimp, especially in the middle! You can also add an extra dollop of marmalade there, because then it will come out beautifully through the hole in the sugared piece, which you will use to fold the bottom part. Stack the finished Christmas cookies from Linz next to each other in a box, add an apple to it (to make sure it’s soft almost immediately) and let it sit until Christmas Day.