Some recipes taste like a love note baked into buttery dough, and these Best Jam Cookies do exactly that. Picture a tray of golden shortbread hearts filled with strawberry jam that glows like stained glass in the afternoon light. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any moment that calls for a little sweetness and care.
Table of Contents
Why These Are the Best Jam Cookies
What Makes This Recipe Special
These jam cookies combine melt-in-your-mouth shortbread with bright, fruity jam for a simple yet beautiful treat. The dough mixes quickly, chills easily, and bakes into cookies that stay crisp yet tender. You can fill them with any jam you like, making them as personal as a handmade card.
Texture, Flavor, and Valentine’s Day Appeal
Every bite has a balance of buttery richness and sweet-tart fruit. The contrast feels both comforting and joyful. They also look stunning on a Valentine’s platter delicate, dusted with sugar, and glowing with red jam hearts that say “made with love.”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Key Ingredients and Why They Matter
- Butter: Unsalted butter adds pure flavor and helps create that soft, crumbly shortbread texture.
- Icing sugar: Keeps the dough tender and adds smooth sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor and brings warmth.
- Flour: The structure of your cookie always sift to keep the dough light.
- Strawberry jam: The classic Valentine’s choice, though raspberry, apricot, or fig also work beautifully.
Step-by-Step: How to Make the Best Jam Cookies
Prepare the Dough
Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, salt, and vanilla until fluffy, about three minutes. Then, slowly add the flour and mix until a dough starts to form.
Turn the dough out and knead by hand just until smooth. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Chill, Roll, and Cut the Cookies
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out 3-inch rounds, then use a 1½-inch heart-shaped cutter to remove the centers from half the cookies. This creates the top layer for your jam sandwich.
Place all cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake and Assemble the Cookie Sandwiches
Bake for 15–20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the edges turn lightly golden. Let them cool completely.
Dust icing sugar over the cutout cookies. Spread jam on the flat side of the whole cookies, then sandwich them with the sugared tops. The jam will peek through the heart cutouts like a tiny window of joy.
Expert Tips for Perfect Jam Cookies Every Time
Techniques for Working With Shortbread Dough
Work quickly since the butter softens fast. If the dough gets sticky, pop it back into the fridge for ten minutes. Also, always sift your flour and sugar for a smooth dough that blends evenly.
Best Jam Choices and Flavor Variations
While strawberry jam is classic, raspberry adds a lovely tart bite, and apricot gives a warm golden glow. For something unexpected, try cherry or fig jam.
Shape and Presentation Ideas for Valentine’s Day
Hearts are romantic, but stars or flowers work well for other seasons. Wrap a few in parchment and tie them with ribbon for gifting.
Storage, Freezing, and Make-Ahead Instructions
How to Store for Freshness
Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 days. They’ll stay crisp on the edges and soft in the center.
Freezing and Thawing Tips
Freeze the baked cookies (unassembled) for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature and fill with jam.
Serving Suggestions and Pairings
How to Present Them for Gifting
Stack a few in a small tin lined with pink tissue paper, or pack them in glass jars with ribbon. They pair beautifully with tea, coffee, or even a sparkling rosé.
Try serving them alongside Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes That Pair Perfectly with Jam Cookies for a sweet Valentine’s duo.
FAQs About Jam Cookies
What kind of jam is best in cookies?
Strawberry or raspberry jam work wonderfully because they’re thick and flavorful. Avoid overly watery jams; they can make the cookies soggy.
Which cookie is the best cookie?
It depends on your taste, but these buttery jam-filled shortbreads are a top contender for any celebration.It depends on your taste, but these buttery jam-filled shortbreads are a top contender for any celebration.
What are jam cookies called?
They’re often known as Linzer cookies or jam sandwich cookies.
What are the top five most popular cookies?
Chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and jam cookies make the list almost every time.
More Such Recipes
- Caramel Apple Donut Cake Pops for a Sweet Holiday Treat
- Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze for Cozy Baking Days
- Peach Cobbler Cookies as a Fruity Alternative to Jam Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodles for Your Valentine’s Cookie Platter
- Cherry Cobbler Muffins for a Berry-Inspired Valentine’s Day
- Easy Cherry Pie Bars to Serve with Strawberry Jam Cookies
Conclusion
These Best Jam Cookies bring together everything you want in a Valentine’s bake: a touch of nostalgia, a pop of color, and a taste that lingers like a sweet memory. Make a batch, share them with someone you love, and keep a few for yourself because love should always taste this good.
Follow more baking inspiration on Pinterest and Facebook.
Print
Best Jam Cookies – Sweet, Buttery & Irresistibly Good
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These buttery shortbread cookies filled with strawberry jam are tender, sweet, and perfect for Valentine’s Day. Each bite melts in your mouth with fruity warmth and nostalgic comfort.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at 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
½ cup strawberry jam
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a stand mixer, blend butter, icing sugar, salt, and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add flour and mix just until a dough begins to form.
4. Remove dough and knead by hand into a smooth ball, about 1 minute.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
6. Roll dough on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness.
7. Cut out 3-inch round cookies, then use a 1½-inch heart-shaped cutter to cut centers from half.
8. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
9. Bake on top and bottom racks for 15–20 minutes, rotating pans halfway, until edges are lightly golden.
10. Let cookies cool.
11. Dust icing sugar over the cutout cookies.
12. Spread jam on the flat side of the whole cookies, then sandwich with the cutout cookies on top, sugar side up.
Notes
Use high-quality jam for the best flavor.
Butter must be at room temperature for proper mixing.
Always sift the flour to help the dough come together.
Work quickly when rolling and cutting the dough, as it softens easily due to the butter content.
Add more flour as needed while rolling to prevent sticking.
Any jam flavor can be used: raspberry, fig, apricot, cherry, etc.
Cutout shapes can be swapped for seasonal designs like stars or flowers.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Resting Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Valentine’s Day Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 374.01
- Sugar: 19.06g
- Sodium: 74.19mg
- Fat: 20.74g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44.22g
- Fiber: 0.96g
- Protein: 3.15g
- Cholesterol: 54.23mg