With holiday cookie season officially here, it’s hard not to return to a classic like the Linzer cookie. For these Brandied Fig Linzer Cookies, we replaced the standard jam filling with a sweet Brandied Fig Filling and add an extra layer of indulgence with a creamy Nutmeg Buttercream. Dried Golden Figs from Valley Fig Growers add a fruity, slightly caramelized bite to each cookie that marries beautifully with both the brightly spiced buttercream and tender and buttery cookie base of this recipe. As the dried golden figs cook and rehydrate in a mixture of brandy and sugar, their earthy sweetness blooms and adds even more depth of flavor to these classic cookies. Who knew Linzer cookies could be this fun?
Located in the fertile San Joaquin Valley, Valley Fig Growers’ grower-owned cooperative has been packing their incomparable California Figs since 1959. The best figs come from California, where fertile soil, hot and dry summers, and cool and wet winters produce delicious fruit with a high nutritional content. Valley Fig Growers’ dried figs are always GMO-free, vegan-friendly, and packed with essential nutrients. Whether enjoyed for their nutritional powerhouse reputation or simply for their sweet, fruity taste, you can count on California Figs.
Find Valley Fig Growers California dried Mission and Golden Figs in your favorite stores under the brands Orchard Choice, Sun-Maid, and Blue Ribbon or online, where you can also find their commercial fig ingredients available under the Blue Ribbon brand.
Pick up premium California Mission and Golden Dried Figs for all of your holiday baking here!
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups (180 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) brandy
- 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (96 grams) hazelnut flour
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
- Nutmeg Buttercream (recipe follows)
- Brandied Fig Filling (recipe follows)
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg and brandy, beating until fully combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt, and nutmeg. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half (423 grams each). Shape each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to ¼-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.) Using a 2¼-inch round cutter, cut dough, and place 1½ inches apart on prepared pans. Using desired 1-inch cutters, cut centers from half of circles. Reserve centers, and reroll with scraps. Let stand at room temperature until ready to bake.
- Bake in batches until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
- Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
- Place Nutmeg Buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip (Ateco #805). Pipe a ring of buttercream around edges of solid cookies. Spoon 1 teaspoon (9 grams) Brandied Fig Filling into center of each solid cookie.
- Garnish cookies with cutouts with confectioners’ sugar. Place cookies with cutouts, confectioners’ sugar side up, on top of preserves and buttercream. Store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- ⅔ cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2¼ cups (270 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) whole milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon (3 grams) vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and salt at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with confectioners’ sugar, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in nutmeg and vanilla. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Use immediately.
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 grams) brandy
- 1½ cups (225 grams) stemmed and quartered dried golden figs
- In a small saucepan, heat sugar and brandy over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add figs, and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, process figs and syrup until mostly smooth. (Small pieces of fig are OK.)
Can I use almond flour instead? I cannot find hazel nut flour anywhere.
Hi Patricia,
Thank you for your question! We use Hazelnut Flour from Bob’s Red Mill (linked here). We haven’t tested this recipe using almond flour, and therefore can’t be certain how the cookies would turn out using this substitution. However, because both are nut-based flours with relatively high fat content, almond flour should work as a substitution 1:1 by volume. If you do end up trying these cookies with almond flour, please let us know how it goes!
Happy baking!