Egg-Shaped Orange Linzer Cookies

Fun and festive Egg-Shaped Linzer Cookies with little “egg yolk windows” filled with sweet orange marmalade. These easy cut-out cookies are perfect for the Easter holiday.

Egg-Shaped Orange Linzer Cookies

I first saw an iteration of these egg-shaped cut-out cookies on Constellation Inspiration’s Instagram account last year. I thought the idea was genius and so cute for Easter. Since then, I’ve found more and more iterations of these fun cookies, all made with lemon curd as the filling. Now, I’ll be honest and admit that the idea of a lemon curd cookie doesn’t…excite me. I love lemon, but curds are not my favorite. And I like to put out recipes that I find exciting and delicious, so I’ve chosen to add a lovely orange marmalade to these little “egg yolk” windows, mimicking the kind of orange-ish yolks you’d find in eggs from pasture-raised (or cage-free) chickens.

Linzer cookies are usually made with part almond flour, but for this recipe, I’ve decided to go with 100% all-purpose flour for ease of making the dough. So you should have everything you need on hand, except for maybe the orange marmalade. And of course I just had to add sugar sprinkles to my “eggs” for a pretty little sparkle, and a touch or orange extract to my dough for extra orange flavor (both are totally optional). 

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Cute, cut-out egg shape that’s perfect for Easter
• Easy-to-make cookie dough that won’t spread in the oven
• Lovely orange flavored dough pairs perfectly with the orange marmalade
• Can easily double this recipe for more festive cookies

What You’ll Need

• Plant-based butter adds moisture and that classic “butter” flavor to the cookies. I used Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Olive Oil. I’m unsure how other “butters” will perform in this dough.
• White granulated sugar adds sweetness to the dough.
• Egg binds the ingredients together. I haven’t tested this recipe with any egg alternatives.
• Orange extract adds flavor to the dough. Feel free to use fresh orange zest (from 1 large orange) in place of the zest (the zest will create little specks of orange in your dough).
• Salt enhances flavor.
• All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the cookie dough. I like to use an unbleached variety, but any all-purpose flour will work.
• Orange marmalade is used to fill the cookie “windows” and mimic the look of an egg yolk. The marmalade is blended up in a high-powered blender to create a smooth, curd-like texture.
• Sugar sprinkles are added to the tops of the cookies pre-bake to create a sparkling crunch.

FAQ

Why does this recipe use store-bought orange marmalade? It’s easy. It’s widely available. And why make things harder than they need to be? 😉

Can these be made ahead of time? Definitely. I recommend baking the cookies ahead of time (they will keep well in an airtight container for up to two days) and adding the marmalade the day you plan to serve them.

Is it okay to make the dough ahead of time? Yes! You can chill the dough for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Can I replace the orange marmalade with the more traditional lemon curd? Of course. If lemon is more your taste, feel free to use a store-bought, or homemade, lemon curd in place of the marmalade. You’ll want to use lemon extract in the cookies (in place of the orange extract) as well.

Can I double the recipe for more cookies? Yes, you can double this recipe for more cookies.

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Yield: ~14 Cookies

Egg-Shaped Linzer Cookies with Orange Marmalade

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Fun and festive Egg-Shaped Linzer Cookies with little "egg yolk windows" filled with sweet orange marmalade. The perfect cookie for Easter!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1/2 cup (113g) plant-based butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100g) white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups (260g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ~1/2 sugar sprinkles (for topping the cookies)

Filling

• 1 cup (~285g) sweet orange marmalade

Instructions

Prepare the Marmalade

1. Add at least 1 cup of orange marmalade to a high powdered blender (you'll need this much so the blender actually blends). Blend on high for a minute or two until the mixture is smooth.
2. Pour the blended marmalade into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

Make the Dough

1. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Beat in the orange extract, and then beat in the salt.
2. Add the flour and use a large spoon or spatula to mix in the flour. It's normal for the dough to look dry at this point. Use your hands to mash and mix the dough together until a smooth dough forms. Then shape the dough into a ball, flatten to a disc shape, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Bake the Cookies

1. Once the dough is firm enough to roll out, unwrap and place the dough disc between two pieces of parchment paper (roughly the size of a cookie sheet). Roll the dough until it's a little under 1/4" thick. Place the rolled dough, and parchment paper, onto a baking sheet, or cutting board, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Pull out the dough and remove the top layer of parchment paper. Cut egg shapes using a cookie cutter (mine is roughly 2x2.5") and place the cut-outs onto your prepared baking sheet. Use something small and round (I used the large end of a piping tip) to cut out the "yolks" from half of the eggs.
4. Add sugar sprinkles to a small plate. Carefully dip the tops of the "window eggs" in the sugar sprinkles. You may need to add more sprinkles and gently pat them over the surface of the cookie. Put the sprinkled cookies, with the baking sheet, back in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes before baking.
5. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 300°F.
6. Combine the leftover/excess cookie dough and repeat Steps 1-4.
7. Once your oven is preheated, and the cut-outs have chilled on their baking sheet for 15 minutes, bake the cookies at 300°F for 13 minutes. It will be difficult to tell when the cookies are done, but I found 13 minutes to work perfectly in my oven.
8. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Continue rolling out dough, cutting cookie shapes, and chilling/baking cookies until you've used up the remaining cookie dough. Allow the cookies to cool completely before assembling.

Assemble the Cookies

1. Just before serving, or as close to it as possible, add the blended orange marmalade to a piping bag (or Ziploc bag).
2. Snip off the end (or corner) and pipe roughly 1/2 a tablespoon or marmalade onto a bottom cookie - make sure there's enough to fill the cookie "window". Top with a top cookie. Repeat until all cookies are assembled.
3. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

1. Butter: I used Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Olive Oil.
2. Cookie Cutter: I used the medium-sized egg (roughly 2x2.5") from this cookie cutter set.
3. Orange Marmalade: blending the marmalade creates a smooth, creamy texture. I learned this trick from Reggiebenji.
4. Linzer Cookies: these cookies were wholly inspired by Constellation Inspiration. I take no credit for the genius that is "egg yolk linzer cookies".