Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks/16 TB) salted butter, softened (soft enough that it will give when you lightly press it, but not melted.)
- ½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, plus ¼ cup more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp table salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup thick fruit preserves (i.e., raspberry, blackberry, peach)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F with rack on middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on high speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy and light, 2-3 minutes (do not rush this part, as it will determine how your dough turns out.) Add vanilla and salt, scraping down bowl as needed. Switch to medium-low and gently mix in flour, just until combined. Dough should be somewhat sticky. Form into a ball shape, cover, and chill 30-60 minutes.
- Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets or silicone baking mats. Press down the center of each ball with handle-end of a wooden spatula or finger, making a deep well in the middle – deep but not too wide (it helps to hold the dough ball in palm of hand while forming the well with your finger.)
- Fill cookie centers generously with jam/preserves. I use either a very small spoon or a piping bag. Bake 20-25* minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Let cool 5 min. on baking sheet, then gently transfer to finish cooling on wire rack.
- When cookies are completely cooled, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cookies can be kept in airtight container at room temp for a few days.
Notes:
This cookie dough is less sweet than others, making space for the very sweet jam/preserves and the generous dusting of powdered sugar at the end.
Cookies will taste like the jam/preserves you use, so use a good quality, thick one (thinner jams tend to “run” during baking.)
These cookies are not intended to brown much, as they’re more of a shortbread color; if you want more browning on top, bake on upper middle rack.
Cookies will taste like the jam/preserves you use, so use a good quality, thick one (thinner jams tend to “run” during baking.)
These cookies are not intended to brown much, as they’re more of a shortbread color; if you want more browning on top, bake on upper middle rack.