This Lemon Linzer Cookies Recipe yields buttery, crisp chamomile lemon linzer cookies filled with a honey lemon white chocolate ganache. These little sandwich cookies are completely naturally flavored using lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, chamomile and a touch of optional citric acid. These would be really great for a tea party, a holiday cookie box or Easter.
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Although I love a lemon curd filling for a linzer cookie, it isn't the most practical. Lemon curd needs to be refrigerated, and all that moisture can mess with the texture of the cookie. It's also just not the most stable filling for a sandwich cookie, because it is not usually thick enough. When I developed my lemon macaron recipe, I thought the lemon white chocolate ganache would make a great egg-free lemon curd substitute. I saved that idea in my back pocket, until recently when I was dreaming up a lemon linzer cookie recipe that was a little sturdier. And of course, I have to play with flavor pairings, so I chose chamomile and honey. They're entirely optional and you can omit them without issue.
The base cookie recipe is adapted from my regular linzer recipe. I added pulverized and sifted whole chamomile flower and very finely chopped lemon zest. Chamomile tea bags also work here. I recommend pulverizing the tea, but if you don't have a spice grinder or blender, the regular ground tea will work too. Another optional (but highly-recommended!) ingredient is citric acid. It comes in a big bag, and keeps for so long that it's great to keep in the pantry. I add it to most of my fruity or citrusy recipes to bring out the flavor and add tartness. It's also handy for cleaning!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The lemon flavor is extra tart thanks to lemon zest, juice and citric acid!
- These are more stable than lemon linzers made with lemon curd.
- These cookies are super customizable, from flavor to shape.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter makes for a buttery cookie and adds structure to the ganache filling.
- Almond flour adds that signature texture and flavor to the linzer cookie dough.
- All-purpose flour is the base of the cookie.
- Corn starch and powdered sugar make for a super tender texture in the cookies.
- White chocolate is the base of the ganache filling. I use white chocolate chips, but chopped bars will also work.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor.
- Honey flavors the ganache.
- Lemon juice, lemon zest and citric acid bring flavor and tartness to the cookies.
- Heavy whipping cream adds moisture and richness to the filling.
- Egg binds the cookie dough and egg white helps the sanding sugar (not pictured) adhere.
- Chamomile flavors the cookie dough. I used whole flour chamomile tea, but tea bags will also work.
- A touch of optional yellow food coloring makes the filling stand out from the cookies.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this lemon linzer cookies recipe to your liking:
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- No chamomile or honey — omit any instance of chamomile and/or honey from the recipe without issue.
- Another tea — black tea or green tea would also be lovely in lieu of chamomile.
- Lemon curd — if you would rather fill these with lemon curd, I recommend a THICK lemon curd for stability. If you're going the store-bought route, Trader Joe's has a great thick lemon curd in a jar. If you want to fill with homemade lemon curd, try this recipe.
- Dairy-free — swap for dairy-free butter in the dough and dairy-free cream (or coconut cream) in the ganache.
- Egg yolk — if you only have egg yolks instead of a whole egg, you can use 2 egg yolks in the place of the 1 egg that is called for in the recipe. If the dough still seems dry, add a tiny bit of a water at a time until the dough comes together.
- Gluten free — swap the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mix.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make Lemon Linzer Cookies Step-By-Step
Step 1: In a large bowl with electric beaters, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift in the chamomile. Add the dry ingredients: the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, corn starch, kosher salt and the lemon zest. Whisk together. Add the butter, and paddle on medium-low until the mixture looks sandy and stays in a clump when grabbed. While the mixer is running, pour in the vanilla and half of the beaten egg. If the dough comes together and looks like cookie dough it is ready. If it is still dry, add the rest of the egg. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. Remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before rolling to let it warm up.
Step 2: Place a heatproof medium bowl over a pot or medium saucepan filled with about one inch of water. Be sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Turn the heat to medium. You just want the water to be simmering, so adjust the heat as necessary. Add all of the ganache ingredients to the bowl, and stir constantly until melted. At this point it is ready, but I like to use an immersion blender to blend it super smooth. This helps with stabilization, but it is entirely optional. Cover and refrigerate until solid. When ready to fill the cookies, let it come to room temperature before piping.
Step 3: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin until ⅛-inch thick. Punch out as many cookies as you can using any small cookie cutter you like. Leave half of the cookies whole (the bottoms) and punch a shape out of the center of the other half (the tops). Place all the cookies on parchment lined sheet pans and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Re-roll any dough scraps and continue to punch out as many cookies as you can.
Step 4: Dip a small pastry brush in egg white. Brush one chilled cookie top and press into the sanding sugar. Repeat with the remaining cookie tops. Return to the freezer to chill solid while you bake the bottom cookies.
Step 5: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the frozen cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined sheet tray or cookie sheet, spaced one inch apart for 6-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on them. They should not take on a lot of color. The tops will take less time than the bottoms. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
Step 6: Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip. Pipe around the edges of the underside of the top cookies. Pipe a smooth blob on the underside of the bottom cookie. Sandwich the cookie together. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched.
Top tips
- Chill the ganache faster by pouring it thin on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or plastic wrap.
- These are most crisp the day of. They will soften as they sit in an airtight container at room temperature and keep for 3-4 days.
- Do not skip chilling the dough or the punched out cookies. The dough and cookies will be much easier to work with after chilling and will spread less in the oven when baked from cold.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Lemon Linzer Cookies Recipe recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Linzer Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon chamomile cookie dough
- 2 chamomile tea bags (3 tablespoon or 6g whole chamomile flower) pulverized and sifted, I use a spice grinder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ½ cup almond flour (60g)
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (85g)
- 5 tablespoon corn starch (50g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest very finely chopped
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter (130g) room temperature, cut in ¼ inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg beaten
Lemon honey ganache
- 8 oz white chocolate (230g, 8 oz) chips or finely chopped
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (60g)
- 3 teaspoon lemon zest very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon honey (43g)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon citric acid
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- One drop yellow food coloring optional
Other
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup sanding sugar I used one with a yellow tint
Instructions
Do ahead (optional)
- The linzer dough can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a few days, or the freezer for a few months.
- The ganache can be made a few days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before piping.
Make the linzer dough
- In a large bowl with electric beaters, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift in the chamomile.
- Add the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, corn starch, kosher salt and lemon zest. Whisk together.
- Add the butter, and paddle on medium-low until the mixture looks sandy and stays in a clump when grabbed.
- While the mixer is running, pour in the vanilla and half of the beaten egg. If the dough comes together and looks like cookie dough it is ready. If it is still dry, add the rest of the egg.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. Remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before rolling to let it warm up.
Make the ganache
- Place a heatproof bowl over a pot filled with about one inch of water. Be sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Turn the heat to medium. You just want the water to be simmering, so adjust the heat as necessary.
- Add all of the ganache ingredients to the bowl, and stir constantly until melted.
- At this point it is ready, but I like to use an immersion blender to blend it super smooth. This helps with stabilization, but it is entirely optional.
- Cover and refrigerate until solid. When ready to fill the cookies, let it come to room temperature before piping.
Roll out the dough
- Roll out the dough on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin until ⅛-inch thick. Punch out as many cookies as you can using any small cookie cutter you like.
- Leave half of the cookies whole (the bottoms) and punch a shape out of the center of the other half (the tops).
- Place all the cookies on parchment-lined sheet pans and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Re-roll any scraps and continue to punch out as many cookies as you can.
Sugar the tops (optional)
- Dip a small pastry brush in egg white. Brush one chilled cookie top and press into the sanding sugar. Repeat with the remaining cookie tops. Return to the freezer to chill solid while you bake the bottoms.
Bake the cookies
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the frozen cookies on a parchment-lined sheet tray, spaced one inch apart for 6-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on them. They should not take on a lot of color. The tops will take less time than the bottoms.
- Remove the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling.
Fill the cookies
- Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip. Pipe around the edges of the underside of the top cookies. Pipe a smooth blob on the underside of the bottom cookie. Sandwich the cookie together. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched.
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Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 8/27/2026.
