Easy Jam Cookies are a fun project to make with kids of all ages - there's measuring, shaping, rolling, and filling to do. And then there's delicious eating at the end of it all. Tender, crispy cookies, rolled in chopped nuts and filled with your favourite jam - they're a classic.
When you're in a jam . . . you gotta make cookies! Jam cookies.
They're tender and crunchy and soft and jammy - all the best things in cookies rolled into one.
And in addition, they're a fun project to make if you have willing kid helpers in the house. My little cooking buddy, Caleb, gives these cookies a definite thumbs up!
Whether you call them jam cookies or thumbprint cookes or thimble cookes, these cookies have been a beloved favourite for a long time. This version has baking soda, so the dough spreads and makes a larger cookie. The dough is softer so it's easier for little thumbs to make the indent. There are other versions of thumbprint cookies that are more shortbreadlike, but this is the recipe I've made since my kids were little and it's been a family favourite.
Easy Jam Cookies - 1, 2, 3
The simple dough can be mixed using an electric mixer or a bowl and wooden spoon. Cream the butter and sugar together first. Then crack in the eggs and mix well.
Measure the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix them into the dough.
Once you have the dough made, you do need to do some testing for quality control.
This is a soft dough, so it needs a 30 minute rest in the fridge to firm it up a bit. While it's chilling, you can preheat the oven, prepare the cookie sheets, chop the nuts for rolling and get the jam ready.
Then it's back to work. Roll out balls of dough, then roll them in the finely chopped nuts. Put them on the cookie sheets and push your thumb down into the middle of each one to make an indent, then plop a spoonful of jam or jelly into each little hole. It's all fun.
Sometimes you need to stop halfway through to do some more quality control to make sure the jam passes inspection, too. The homemade saskatoon jelly we used gets a seal of approval from Caleb, as well as the lighter pink fireweed jelly.
Then, into the oven they go. When they're nice and golden brown, they're ready to set on the cooling rack.
It's hard to wait, but they need a few minutes, because that jam can be HOT!
Oh, yes, now they're good to go. The chef approves. Life's always better with a cookie in your hand.
What do I Need for a Batch of Jam Cookies?
- soft butter
- white sugar (preferably natural evaporated cane sugar, but any kind will do)
- brown sugar (we like to use coconut sugar instead)
- eggs
- flour - regular or gluten-free, both work fine (we used gluten-free)
- baking soda
- salt
- chopped nuts - pecans or walnuts work great, but any kind you have in the house will do, even shredded coconut
- jam or jelly, both work, choose your favourite kind
These cookies keep well in a cookie jar on the counter for a week or so, and also freeze well. Just put them into a sealed container with wax paper between the layers, and they'll be good for up to 3 months in the freezer, ready for the next time the cookie monster comes calling!
Guten Appetit!
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Jam Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225gms) soft butter salted
- ¾ cup (150gms) white sugar preferably natural evaporated cane sugar
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups (350gms) flour (for gluten-free, use 2½ cups + 2 tablespoons (370gms) gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (100gms) finely chopped nuts pecans or walnuts are good
- jam or jelly you'll need about ⅓ - ½ cup
Instructions
- With an electric mixer (or by hand) cream the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after adding each one.
- Stop the beater and add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Start the beater at the lowest speed and then increase the speed slowly. Beat the dough until it is smoothly mixed and all the dry ingredients are blended in.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Finely chop the nuts and put them in a shallow bowl.
- Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Roll each of the balls in the chopped nuts, and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) between them because they spread when baking.
- Push down in the center of each ball with your thumb or a finger to make an indent, but don't push right through to the bottom. Fill each indent with a blob of jam or jelly (about ½ teaspoon).
- Bake the cookies, in batches, for about 12-15 minutes until they are golden at the edges. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pans, then move them to a rack to finish cooling.
- Makes about 40 cookies.
Notes
For easy, kid-friendly recipes, see other ‘Cooking With Kids’ posts here.
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