I call them “jam filled” rather than raspberry filled sugar cookies as the recipe suggests. I have all kinds of jam in my house. Whenever my kids travel and they find an unusual flavor of jam – or anything that remotely implies “chili” flavor – yes they know their dad, they will bring back a bottle for me to try. For this particular cookie, I’m using Jalapeno Haskap Berry Jam, Raspberry Jam and Orange Seville Marmalade. The colours will look nice on a Christmas plate – deep purple, deep red and speckled orange. I am impressed with the cookie recipe in the fact it isn’t too sweet. I think they cut back on the sugar knowing a jam would be the filling. Smart!
It’s from Chatelaine magazine, don’t know what year as it is part of a large collection of recipes I have in a stack (somewhat organized stack :)). It is really difficult to find small cookie cutters for cut outs so I’m using one that I have for making fondant flowers for the holes. I could have used a small round cutter for the inside cut-out, easy enough to do using the opposite end of a piping tip, but thought the flower was more interesting a shape. This also gave me pretty, small flowers as plain cookies – a one bite cookie if you will. I used a 2″ diameter fluted cutter for the overall cookie size. Watch the baking time on these, you want the cookies light golden. I rotated the trays at 4 1/2 minutes and removed them at 7 1/2 minutes, 370F in my convection oven.
Add these to your Christmas cookie exchange or sweet table offering. You don’t have to make them as small as I did, you can make them bigger. I just want more than one cookie sampled and smaller portions help the cause. I got over 100 cookies from the 2″ cutter – 50 sandwich cookies. Try these, a little more work but pretty to look at and they taste great! As always – enjoy!
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup extra for rolling
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup (167 ml) butter – please get used to using a scale for baking
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Jams – assorted varieties – about 1/3 cup each if you are using 3 different types
Combine the flour with the baking powder and salt – whisk
Using your mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high for about 3 minutes
Add the eggs, one at a time, beat after each addition and scrape the bowl down as needed
Add the vanilla extract
Gradually stir in the flour mixture and mix until evenly blended, divide the dough in half
Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and be refrigerated up to 1 week)
When ready to bake – preheat the oven to 375F, line two trays with parchment paper
This is a lovely dough to work with but is a bit sticky, so use flour on your surface, rolling pin and the dough itself – it needs this extra bit of flour to roll properly
Roll to 1/4″ thickness, cut all the dough using the cutter, spread on the baking sheets
Using a smaller cutter – cut and remove the inside circle/flower/diamond shape – just leave them on the baking tray to bake
Bake for 4 1/2 minutes, rotate the trays and bake for a further 2 1/2 minutes – until cookies are golden – let cool
Before filling – match up the tops and bottoms of the cookies – hold them bottom to bottom i.e. you want the rounded surface/top side/finished side of the cookie to be seen no matter how the cookie is held
Arrange them in order but on two separate trays – dust the tops (the pieces with the cut outs) with icing sugar
Spread a little bit of jam – try 1/4 tsp first, add more if you need to, on the base cookie (remember it’s the bottom surface you want to put the jam on) – then pick the corresponding top and place it on top of the base – voila! Jam filled cookies!
These can be frozen for up to one month (that’s what the recipe says)
Beautiful!!