Pecan Linzer Bars Recipe (2024)

This method is so much easier than the original version, which is the source of great agony every Xmas. Makes for a little merrier holiday.

For all of us non food-processor people: I've found that the nuts really do need to be ground finely for the bottom crust to have adequate structural integrity, BUT 1) pecans are soft enough to "grind" (smash) with a rolling pin in a heavy plastic zip-top back, and 2) pecan meal IS a thing you can buy. The rest can be done with a knife and a wooden spoon.

I subbed almond flour because I had it for some reason, and hazelnuts for pecans as they are impossible to find here. I also got the proportions wrong in step 3 and had probably too much dough to crumble on top, I didn't use as much raspberry jam as the recipe called for, and subbed a 24cm, 9 1/2" springform for the 9" square, and despite all that, they were delicious. A 5-star recipe. But I must confess, the idea of a thin layer of marzipan in there someplace did occur to me....

What do people think about using apricot preserves/jam? Would that work well?

Try with rhubarb jam, cardamom, and hazelnuts

Made this with hazelnut flour and the Bonnie Maman mixed berry jam Costco sells. Delicious!

I made this with my all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. 1:1 and they worked out great!

I think apricot jam/preserves would be great!

So actually the Linzer Torte has it‘s origins in Linz, Austria (hence the name). Vienna is a completely different city!! There is no vieneese Linzer Torte - only a linzer Linzer Torte . It’s like saying it’s a New York style/Miami pizza. Yes.

Writing from Vienna, this is exactly the comment I wanted to make. Many thanks "Linzer"!

The recipe is well-written, easy to follow and the results were perfect. That being said, 13 oz. of raspberry jam overwhelmed all the other flavors. It didn't slow us down from eating them all, but next time I will half the jam, which should give a nice balance and bring out the nuances of the lemon, cinnamon and pecans.

Yes I have. Pecans can easily be replaced with hazelnuts or walnuts!

Any thoughts on using almond flour (ground almonds) instead of the pecans (which also sounds delicious) for the crust?

Ruby, I’ve made a similar recipe with apricot preserves and it was delicious. I’m very interested to try the cardamom suggestion!

My guess is it shapes how the dessert browns and bakes, and/or is the type of pan used in testing this recipe.

In years past I've made traditional Linzer cookies, lovely but what a pain to make. So these looked like an easier alternative and they were. I doubled the recipe, because why not given, it is the same amount of work to get double the cookies. I used Bonne Maman mixed fruit jam and it was superb, though next time I will use two jars for a jammier bar. I loved the notable lemon background notes in these cookies. They stored well and tasted delicious. I will make these every year from now on.

Use the 9” pan as recommended; 8” pan makes the crust too thick. Also, don’t scrimp on the jam layer; spread it nice and thick!

If I make this again, I’ll try cutting the sugar from 2/3 cup to half a cup. The preserves added so much sweetness that I felt it didn’t need quite that much sugar. Brought these to a party and they were a huge hit.

Can these be frozen? How are they once thawed?

Baked in Nov. 2023

Baked in Nov. ‘23 for bookclub

Very easy and tasty. I followed exactly but had to use Raspberry spread instead of jam, a fine substitution that didn’t give me any trouble. Next time I mighty add more lemon zest. A note on appearance, I found that the dough came out more grayish rather than the described golden. I sprinkled powdered sugar so didn’t wind up being an issue, but was taken aback. Also I found the dough a little too sticky to be “crumbled” on top (even with the reserved pecans added in) and just did little globs

The jam I planned to use was moldy, so I heated some frozen berries with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and let it simmer for 30 min-1 hour. I used a blender on pulse mode for my food processor. 4/5 stars only because they came out drier than I planned, I think somehow the butter didn’t fully incorporate with the dry ingredients.

Was excited to find use for dark cherry jam from MI cherries. Result was underwhelming and the process tedious. Mine were crumbly even though I weighed and measured carefully so didn’t present well on cookie tray. One time effort.

Excellent with a nice combination of flavors. Also, relatively quick and easy to make. Based on another review, only used half of the amount of preserves (blackberry) and would do so again.

I made these three times this holiday season along with several other cookies. This was the cookie that everyone begged for the recipe and talked about. This recipe is an instant classic and has been added to my holiday cookie list.

These are fabulous. Made one batch with raspberry preserves and another with apricot. The apricot was even better. I mixed all nuts in the crust and did not do nuts on the top only crumbled crust. Was great!! Thank you!

Made them exactly as the recipe described. As with many baked goods I thought these were even more delicious the day after I made them. They are quite sweet so I cut them into smaller squares. They look absolutely beautiful — a fine addition to a tower of cookies for a holiday tea.

Wouldn't describe the top cookie dough mix with pecans as crumbly.

I made four (4) of these today (for a large holiday cookie sale) using raspberry, apricot, cherry, and strawberry preserves. All sold very quickly; we sell by the pound so these are very lucrative. Super easy, but do cut the bars as directed using a long, thin, wet knife; any smaller and they can crumble, and must be fully cooled first.