Heart Cookies with Jam

This cookie recipe is for buttery vanilla biscuits that have been sandwiched together with strawberry jam and dusted with icing sugar. This is my favorite cookie recipe and soon it will be yours too!

If you're looking for other recipes to make this Valentine's Day then have a look at this Mini Chocolate Cake which is perfect for two, or this recipe for Strawberry Donuts that will make the perfect Valentine's breakfast treat for the whole family. And if you're after more cookie recipes then take a look at this Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie recipe or these Passionfruit Cookies. 

Ingredients

To make these delicious jam sandwich cookies you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh, quality ingredients when baking.

• Unsalted butter 
• Castor sugar 
• Extra-large eggs 
• Vanilla extract 
• Cake flour 
• Salt 
• Strawberry jam 
• Powdered sugar 

Unsalted butter - choose unsalted butter rather than salted butter when baking, so that you can adjust the saltiness on your own. Take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before making this recipe. It shouldn't be rock hard or too soft.

Castor sugar - use castor sugar or superfine sugar for this recipe.

Cake flour - use cake flour or all-purpose flour to make these cookies.

Extra-large eggs - out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren't sure if you have the same eggs, weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Strawberry jam - I used strawberry jam to fill these cookies, you can do the same or pick your favorite jam. The type of jam you use is completely up to you!

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To make these strawberry jam cookies, follow the simple instructions below. First, you will make the cookie dough, allow it to rest, and then bake and fill the cookies.

STEP 1: Cream butter and sugar. Add the softened butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until well combined and there are no lumps of butter.

STEP 2: Add the eggs and vanilla. First, add the whole egg to the creamed mixture with the food processor running, and pulse until combined. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until well combined.

STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour and salt and add this flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture all at once. Pulse until a dough forms, do not overmix.

STEP 4: Chill dough. Remove the dough from the food processor, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.

STEP 5: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.

STEP 6: Roll dough. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on a floured work surface to a thickness of ½ cm ( ¼ inch) using a rolling pin.

STEP 7: Shape cookies. Cut 40 hearts from the dough using a 7cm (3 inches) heart-shaped cookie cutter and place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet pans. Use a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut a second heart into half of the cookies.

STEP 8: Bake. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.

STEP 9: Fill cookies. Spread a teaspoon of jam over the cookies that will form the cookie base. Place the top cookie onto this and then dust the top of the cookie with icing sugar. Serve, and enjoy!

Hint: If your dough is difficult to roll, place it back in the fridge to firm up. 

Variations

This is a great recipe to get creative with! You can choose to fill these cookies in so many different ways. Try out different jams like sweet raspberry jam, apricot, or blueberry. Or fill these cookies with chocolate spread, peanut butter, lemon curd, or dulce de leche. 

You can also add flavors to this simple sugar cookie dough like lemon zest, almond extract, and even spices!

If you are feeling extra energetic take a look at this Spiced Cherry Jam recipe to learn how to make your own cherry jam. 

Equipment

To make the cookie dough you will need a food processor or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. This recipe can also be made using an electric hand mixer.

You will also need a large baking tray, a wire rack for cooling, and two sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters. If you don't have heart-shaped cutters, you can use circles too. 

Storage

After baking and decorating these heart cookies, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about four days.

Unfilled cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to one week, choose to crisp them up in the oven before filling them with jam.

For freezing, the cookie dough can be frozen before baking. Cover the dough in plastic wrap store it in the freezer for up to 3 months and bake them at a later date. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight before using.

I do not recommend freezing cookies that have already been filled with jam.

This heart shape cookie recipe is an absolute winner regardless of the occasion! They make the perfect Valentine's Day Cookies but are also great to make during the holiday season when you want a special treat with a cup of tea! 

If you give this recipe a try and love it as much as I do, please leave a comment and star review below. I love hearing from all of you!

Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe. 

Happy Baking 

With Love, 

Kitty