History

• Created in Linz, Austria in the 17th century, the Linzer torte is the world's oldest torte recipe. Tortes use nuts rather than flour as the main dough ingredient. The Linzer torte features an almond-based crust filled with black current preserves and topped with a lattice crust. In the 19th century, the Linzer torte was adapted into the present-day Linzer cookie.

Characteristics

• Linzer cookies use the same dough as Linzer tortes and can be filled with raspberry rather than black current preserves. A Linzer cookie consists of raspberry preserves sandwiched between two cookie rounds. The top cookie, dusted with powdered sugar, features a round cutout known as a "Linzer eye."

Modern Variations

• Linzer cookie ingredients can vary based on availability. Rather than almonds, nuts such as hazelnuts can be substituted to make Linzer dough. Any fruit preserve, jam, jelly or conserve can be used to fill Linzer cookies.