Festive jam cookies, three ways

Three styles of festive jam-filled cookies, all from one basic cookie dough recipe!

Credit: Bake With Anna Olson

• makes

  36

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Basic cookie dough

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
• 1 cup (130 g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2½ cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt

Orange marmalade crumble bars

• 1 recipe icebox cookie dough
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup (250 ml) orange marmalade
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Apricot lemon rugelach

• 1 recipe Icebox cookie dough
• zest of 1 lemon
• ¾ cup (175 ml) apricot jam
• 1 egg whisked with 1½ tbsp (30 ml) water, for brushing
• Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Raspberry linzer cookies

• 1 recipe Icebox cookie dough
• 1 tsp (5 ml) almond extract
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• ¾ cup (175 ml) raspberry jam

Chilling time: 2 hours.

Cooking time varies from 12 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of cookie or bar the dough is used for. 

Crumble bars makes 36; rugelach makes 48; linzer cookies makes about 36 sandwich cookies.

Instructions

1. To make basic cookie dough, note any changes required for the style of cookie you are making (see below) then follow this basic method: Using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the icing sugar and start on low speed to work it in, and then increase the speed to medium-high beating until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough comes together. Prepare the cookies as below.
2. Orange marmalade crumble bars: Add the orange zest to the cookie dough, when beating the butter and icing sugar together. Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 °F (160 °C). Lightly grease and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides. Use a box grater to grate the chilled cookie dough. Press about two-thirds of this into the bottom of the prepared pan and then spread the marmalade over top. Sprinkle the remaining grated cookie dough over the marmalade and press gently. Bake for about 45 minutes, until you can see browning at the edges. Cool the pan on a rack completely before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into squares.
4. Apricot lemon rugelach: Add the lemon zest to the cookie dough when beating the butter and icing sugar together. Shape the dough into 6 small discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Lightly knead the first disc of dough to soften it just a little. Roll the disc out into a circle roughly 20 cm (8 inches) across on a lightly floured surface, and trim the edges. Cut the circle into 8 wedges. Spoon a little jam at the wide end of each wedge and then roll the dough up, croissant-like in shape. Place the cookies on the trays, leaving 4 cm (1½ inches) between them. Repeat with the remaining discs of dough. Brush the cookies with eggwash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes, until the cookies brown a little just at the edges. Cool the cookies on the tray before removing to store in an airtight container. The cookies will keep for up to a week.
5. Raspberry linzer cookies: Add the almond extract to the cookie dough at the same time as adding the vanilla extract. Shape the dough into 2 discs and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Knead the first disc of dough to soften it a little and then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to just about6 mm (¼ inch) thick. Use a 5 cm (2 inch) cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can. Use a small cutter or even a pastry tip to cut a hole in the centre of half of these cookies. Arrange the cookies with a hole on one tray and the cookies without a hole on the second tray, leaving 2.5 cm (1 inch) between them. Repeat with the second disc and any remaining scraps of dough. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes (keep an eye on the cookies with holes – they may take a minute less to bake) until they just start to show signs of colouring at the edges. Cool the cookies on the tray before assembling. Dust the cookies with the holes generously with icing sugar while on their baking tray. Spread a little of the raspberry jam on the bottom of a cookie without a hole and sandwich it with a dusted one, pressing gently. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store them in an airtight container or well-wrapped (single layer is best). The cookies will keep for a week.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.