Jam Shapes Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:
6 oz (175 g) butter (softened)
7⁄8 cup (175 g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 medium egg (beaten)
1 egg yolk
2¼ cups (275 g) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
6 tbsp raspberry or strawberry jam
2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Process the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest in a food processor until smooth.

Add the egg, egg yolk, and flour to the food processor and process again until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and is starting to come together in a dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until it is smooth. Flatten into a circle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1⁄4” (3 mm) thick. Using a 2½” (6 cm) cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. You should get about 36 in total.

Use a 1–1½” (2–3 cm) cookie cutter to cut out the middle from 18 of the cookies (you can bake these too if you like). Arrange on the baking sheets and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven (in batches, if necessary) for about 10–12 minutes, or until golden. Cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

When fully cool, spread the whole cookies with jam. Then dust confectioners’ sugar on the cookies with holes. Press one sugar-dusted cookie onto each jam-covered one and serve.

Variation:
You can use any flavor of jam you like instead of raspberry or strawberry. Try apricot jam or orange marmalade.