Chocolate Chai Linzer Cookies

Linzer cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies, and with the addition of chai spices and dark chocolate ganache, they become even more special! These buttery shortbread cookies bake up crisp, hold their shape perfectly, and look absolutely beautiful covered in powdered sugar. It's the perfect recipe for a holiday cookie exchange!

For more Christmas cookies, try Soft Brown Butter Molasses Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies, and Salted Caramel Linzer Cookies. 

Why you'll love these linzer cookies

• Chai Spices: I used a combination of warm spices to give the shortbread cookies a delicious chai flavor.
• Dark Chocolate Ganache: A rich, silky dark chocolate ganache in every bite!
• Fun to Cutout & Decorate: This cookie dough is so easy to work with, making it perfect for cutting out & decorating with kids!

Ingredient Notes

• All-Purpose Flour: You'll need two cups of flour, but I HIGHLY recommend weighing it to exactly 240g. 
• Almond Flour: Use extra fine almond flour for the best texture.
• Spices: I added some chai spices to give these cookies some warmth, but it is completely optional. 
• Unsalted Butter: I recommend using a high-quality European-style butter. Kerrygold is my favorite! 
• Sugars: You'll need granulated sugar for the cookie dough and powdered sugar for decorating.
• Egg: Bring your egg to room temperature by adding it in a bowl of warm water.
• Vanilla: Use a good quality vanilla paste or extract. 
• Heavy Cream: You'll need about a ½ cup of heavy cream for the ganache. 
• Chocolate: Use a high-quality bittersweet chocolate, such as Valrhona Guanaja 70%.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this chocolate chai liner cookie recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.

STEP 2: Beat the butter & sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

STEP 3: Finish the cookie dough. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter, sugar mixture, and mix until fully combined. Then add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing on low speed until everything is mostly combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and finish combining the dough. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour or up to a few days.

STEP 4: Roll out the cookie dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the  dough to ¼" in thickness. Use a 2 ½" - 3" fluted round cutter and a small snowflake cutter. Cut out an even number of solid cookies and cookies with a snowflake cutout. Place all cutout cookie dough in the freezer for 10 minutes. Place the scrap cookie dough back in the fridge for about 15 minutes before re-rolling. 

STEP 5: Bake the cookies. Bake the frozen cutout cookies for about 15 minutes. Bake the small snowflakes for about 8 minutes.

STEP 6: Make the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer or about 200 degrees F. Add the chocolate to a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and place a plate on top. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Remove the plate and gently stir until the chocolate has fully melted and combined with the heavy cream. Do not over-mix!  Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to thicken.

STEP 7: Assemble the cookies. Pair the linzer cookies up, then generously sprinkle powdered sugar on the top cookies.

STEP 8: Assemble the cookies. Add a small spoonful of ganache to the bottom cookies, and gently press the paired cookies on top. Enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Make the cookie dough the day before. To break up this recipe, I highly recommend making the cookie dough the day before and letting it chill overnight. If you'd rather make these all in one day, they can be baked the same day so long as the dough has at least one hour to chill in the fridge.
• Freeze the cutout cookie dough. To ensure the cutout cookies hold their shape, freeze them for about 15 minutes before baking.
• Prepare the ganache ahead of time. The ganache will need about 1 hour to cool & set up to the right consistency, so plan ahead and account for that time!
• Pair up the cookies before assembling. Once you're ready to assemble, match the top cookies with bottom cookies. Then, separate them and sprinkle powdered sugar on the top cookies, and spoon the ganache on the bottom cookies. Sandwich them together for perfectly aligned cookies!

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x