The Best Jam Cookies
Jam cookies are a sweet and buttery treat filled with fruit preserves, offering endless variations of flavor. With simple ingredients and a customizable recipe, they’re perfect for any occasion or craving.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup sifted icing sugar plus extra for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling out the dough
- ½ cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, icing sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 3 minutes. With the mixer still running, gradually add the sifted flour until just combined. At this point, a dough ball will begin to form.
- Remove the dough from the stand mixer and knead it by hand until a smooth ball forms, about 1 minute. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow it to firm up, making it easier to roll out.
- Once chilled, roll out the dough on a floured surface using a rolling pin, adding extra flour to the surface and rolling pin if the dough starts to stick. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circle shapes and reroll the scraps to cut more circles. Take a 1 ½ inch heart-shaped cookie cutter and cut out shapes in the center of half of the circles.
- Arrange both the whole and cutout cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies on the top and bottom racks of the oven, rotating the pans and switching their positions halfway through, for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- Dust icing sugar over the cutout cookies. Spread strawberry jam over the bottom of each whole cookie, then place a cutout cookie on top, with the sugar side facing up.
Notes
Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature, or it may not mix properly.
Be sure to sift the flour before mixing it into the dough, as it helps the dough come together better.
Feel free to use any cookie cutter shape you prefer for the center cutout. I used a heart, but a star or flower would also look adorable.
Work quickly when rolling out the dough and cutting it with cookie cutters, as the dough tends to soften due to its high butter content. If needed, add more flour to prevent sticking.
You can use any flavor of jam you like for these cookies. While I used strawberry jam, raspberry, orange, fig, cherry, apricot—really any flavor works!
Be sure to sift the flour before mixing it into the dough, as it helps the dough come together better.
Feel free to use any cookie cutter shape you prefer for the center cutout. I used a heart, but a star or flower would also look adorable.
Work quickly when rolling out the dough and cutting it with cookie cutters, as the dough tends to soften due to its high butter content. If needed, add more flour to prevent sticking.
You can use any flavor of jam you like for these cookies. While I used strawberry jam, raspberry, orange, fig, cherry, apricot—really any flavor works!