Why You’ll Love This Grinch-Themed Holiday Cookie
These Pistachio Linzer Cookies take everything you love about a classic Linzer and adds a playful Grinch-themed twist. Get the same tender, buttery dough, delicate nutty flavor, and crisp edges with a fun Grinch-green and a bright red raspberry jam peeking through a heart-shaped cutout.
They’re festive and fun, but still totally timeless. It’s the perfect way to bring a little holiday personality to a beloved traditional cookie.
- Uses simple, healthier ingredients.
- Gives you bakery-style cookies without complicated steps.
- The nutty pistachios pair perfectly with the sweet jam.
- They stand out on the holiday cookie tray.
Love pistachio desserts? Try pistachio pudding cookies, brown butter pistachio cookies, or white chocolate pistachio cookies next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pistachios: Shelled pistachios will make it much easier on you. Be sure they are unsalted.
- All-purpose flour: You can buy gluten-free if needed.
- Salt, light brown sugar, vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter: You want it to be very soft, but not melted.
- Green gel food coloring: Optional, but 1–2 drops brighten the green for the Grinch theme.
- Raspberry jam: Try apricot, blackberry, or cherry jam for flavor swaps.
- Powdered sugar: Optional for dusting, but makes them extra festive.
How to Make Pistachio Linzer Cookies
- Grind pistachios in the food processor and pulse or blend until finely ground. Transfer them to a bowl with the flour and salt and whisk to combine.
- Mix wet ingredients in a separate large bowl. Use a spatula (or a mixer on low) to combine the soft butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until no butter clumps remain and the mixture is smooth. If using, add 2 drops of green food coloring and stir to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until the dough starts to come together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to mix with your hands. It should hold together in a ball, but be slightly crumbly.
- Chill: Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it gently into a disc. Wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut the cookie dough: Turn the dough out onto a gently floured work surface and roll to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, fluted cutter, or linzer cookie cutout, cut dough into circles. Cut a smaller shape in the center of half the cookies.
- Bake: Arrange the cookies with the heart cutout on one baking sheet and the whole cookies on the other. Bake the heart cutout cookies at 350°F for 7 min and the whole cookies for 8 min. Dust with powdered sugar. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 min then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before assembling.
- Assemble: Spread 1 tsp of jam on the whole cookies (the bottom cookie). Carefully top each cookie with the heart-shaped cookie and press down gently. Store at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Flavor swaps: Try apricot, fig, blackberry, or cherry jam instead.
- Color option: Skip the food coloring if you prefer a natural, speckled green.
- Shift the shape: Linzer cookies can be made with any shape, but for this Grinch-green cookie, I couldn’t resist the raspberry heart.
- Seedless jam: Strain the raspberry jam for smooth, glossy centers.
Molly’s Tips from Testing
Chilling is key: Don’t skip the 2-hour chill. It prevents spreading and keeps the shapes sharp.
For clean cuts: Chill the rolled dough 5–10 minutes before cutting shapes. I used these fun holiday cookie cutters and only used the hearts.
Prevent spreading: Use cold baking sheets instead of placing dough on warm pans from previous batches.
Baking time: Bake the solid cookies 1 minute longer than the cutouts for even texture.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Dough can be made and chilled 2–3 days in advance. Baked (unfilled) cookies freeze well before assembling. Thaw overnight in the fridge before adding the jam.
Storage: Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
More Holiday Cookies with Filling
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Pistachio Linzer Cookies
These Pistachio Linzer Cookies are crisp, buttery sandwich cookies made with finely ground pistachios for a naturally nutty flavor. The heart cutout on the top cookie reveals a bright red raspberry jam center, giving them the perfect Grinch-inspired look for the holidays. They’re easy to assemble, hold their shape beautifully, and make a standout addition to any cookie box!
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Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
- 2 cups all-purpose flour gluten-free if needed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter very soft but not melted (170g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Green gel food coloring optional
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Grind pistachios (5 min): Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse or blend until finely ground. Transfer them to a bowl with the flour and salt and whisk to combine.1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt
- Mix wet ingredients (2 min): In a separate large bowl, use a spatula to combine the soft butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until no butter clumps remain and the mixture is smooth. Alternately, use an electric mixer or stand mixer and mix on low. If using, add 2-3 drops of green food coloring to the wet ingredients and stir to combine to reach your desired green hue (optional).3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, Green gel food coloring
- Add dry ingredients (3 min): Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until the dough starts to come together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to mix with your hands to combine because it will be pretty dry and crumbly. The dough should hold together in a ball when you press it firmly, but be slightly crumbly around the edges.
- Chill (2 hours): Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it firmly into a disc. Wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut the cookie dough (5 min): Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Turn the dough out onto a gently floured work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. It's ok if the edges crumble slightly. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, or fluted cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Cut a smaller shape out of the enter of half the cookies. You could also use a special linzer cookie cutout (I used only the heart shape) with the center shape attached to cut out half.
- Bake (8 min): Arrange the cookies with the heart cutout on one baking sheet and the whole cookies on the other (they take 1 minute longer to bake). Bake the heart cutout cookies for 7 minutes and the whole cookies for 8 minutes. Dust the heart-shaped cookies with powdered sugar. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.Powdered sugar
- Assemble (5 min): Spread 1 teaspoon of jam on the whole cookies (the bottom cookie). Carefully top each cookie with the heart-shaped cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich. Store at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.1/2 cup raspberry jam
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!
Notes
Cookie Cutter. You can use any round or fluted cookie cutter and a smaller cookie cutter for the centers. I used these pre-made linzer holiday cookie cutters, but only used the heart shape to make them grinch cookies.
Chilling . Don’t skip the 2-hour chill. It prevents spreading and keeps the shapes sharp.
Make ahead. Dough can be made and chilled 2–3 days in advance. Baked (unfilled) cookies freeze well before assembling. Thaw overnight in the fridge before adding the jam.
Storage. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Shape and jam. Use any shape of cookie or jam you desire.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes. The dough can be made and chilled 2–3 days in advance. Baked (unfilled) cookies freeze well before assembling. Thaw overnight in the fridge before adding the jam.
Can I use a different shape to cut out the cookie?
Use any shape you’d like! I liked the hearts to give it more of the Grinch feel.
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