Cookie season is here, and this recipe for Christmas Butter Cookies is my favorite recipe to make during the holiday season! This easy cookie recipe comes together with the help of a food processor or electric mixer and once baked these cookies are filled with strawberry jam and dusted generously with icing sugar.
If you love holiday baking you can't miss these Coconut Raffaello Cupcakes!
Why This Christmas Butter Cookie Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Christmas Butter Cookies
- Ready in: 1hr 45 minutes
- Serves: 30 sandwich cookies
- Main ingredients: Strawberry jam, flour, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla
- Perfect for: Christmas cookie boxes, or serve this Christmas cookie tray during festive movie time with a cup of tea.
- Why I love it: These cookies hold their shape while baking so you can use all your favourite cookie cutters!
- Calories: 116kcal
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I love making these cookies at Christmas time when the Christmas spirit is high and the craving for sweet treats is even higher! This recipe is so easy to follow and you can get creative with the cutters you choose to use as well as the fillings for this recipe.
If you're looking for other additions to your cookie box this year, then have a look at this recipe for Dulce de Leche Cookies, these Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies, or this recipe for Lemon Cookies.
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Key Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - 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 superfine sugar for this recipe.
- Strawberry jam - I used strawberry jam to fill these cookies; you can do the same or pick your favorite jam. Try making your own jam using this Spiced Cherry Jam recipe, or this recipe for homemade Clementine Marmalade Jam.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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 you could fill these cookies with chocolate spread, peanut butter, lemon curd, or even drizzle them with melted white chocolate and holiday sprinkles.
You can also add flavours to this simple sugar cookie dough, like lemon zest, almond extract, and even spices! For a spiced sugar cookie recipe, try out this Christmas Wreath Cookie Recipe.
How to Make Christmas Butter Cookies with Jam Filling
- Step 1: Add the softened butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until well combined; there should be no lumps of butter.
- Step 2: 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 again.
- Step 3: Sift together the flour. Add this flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture all at once. Pulse until a dough forms; do not overmix.
- Step 4: Remove the dough from the food processor, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
- Step 5: Use an assortment of Christmas cookie cutters to shape the dough. I have used snowflakes, Christmas trees, fluted circles, and stars. Choose how many cookies you'd like to fill with jam and leave some plain. Remember that the bottom cookies must be left intact if filling them, so don't cut circles or shapes out of these ones. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Step 6: Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until they are light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Once cooled, spread a teaspoon of jam over the cookies that will form the cookie base. Place the top cookie onto this and then dust with powdered sugar.
What To Do If Your Cookie Dough Is Too Soft to Shape
If your dough is difficult to roll and is sticking to your work surface, place it back in the fridge to firm up. Chilled dough is much easier to work with and holds its shape better when baking. You want to roll out the dough as few times as possible, so make sure the dough is chilled enough the first time!
I love this recipe! These cookies held their shape during baking, and they were so buttery and delicious. I filled some with apricot jam and some with strawberry.
- Alex
Storage
After baking and decorating these butter sugar cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 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.
Top Tips
- Cookies burn very easily, so make sure you have tested the actual temperature of your oven. If you don't trust your oven, try baking a few cookies first and see if they burn, then adjust the temperature as needed. This helps ensure you bake the perfect cookie!
- Use room-temperature butter for this recipe.
- Make sure the butter and sugar have creamed enough before adding the eggs.
- If you are struggling to roll out the dough, cover it and place it back into the fridge to firm up; chilled dough is much easier to roll.
- Make sure you have rolled the dough evenly before cutting out the cookies; cookies of different thicknesses will bake differently.
- Only fill the cookies with jam once they have cooled.
Christmas Butter Cookies FAQs
For freezing, the cookie dough can be frozen before baking or after baking. Cover the dough or baked cookies in plastic wrap, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the raw dough in the fridge overnight before using. I do not recommend freezing the cookies after they have been filled with jam.
This happens if the oven is too hot. Make sure you have tested the oven's true temperature with an oven thermometer. Also, bake the trays of cookies separately.
Of course, use other jam recipes or even fill these cookies with buttercream. Try out this Raspberry Buttercream or this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting as an alternative.
More Christmas Baking Recipes
Baking during the festive season just hits differently. It's a time when you really want to spoil the people you love most, and everyone is usually up for a treat, regardless of the time of day! If you're looking for an easy Christmas dessert, make these Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears, and for the cutest Christmas cupcakes, try these Reindeer Cupcakes.
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment and a star review below! Looking for more Christmas baking ideas? Then you have to try this delicious no-bake South African Peppermint Crisp Trifle. No matter where you live, this recipe is a winner!
📖 Recipe
Christmas Butter Cookies
Equipment
- 2x large baking trays
- parchment paper
- food processor or electric stand/ hand mixer
- Christmas cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 100 g caster sugar
- 1 egg extra-large
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 350 g cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g strawberry jam
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until well combined and there are no lumps of butter.
- 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 again.
- 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.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
- 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.
- Use an assortment of Christmas cookie cutters to shape the dough, I have used snowflakes, Christmas trees, fluted circles, and stars. Choose how many cookies you'd like to fill with jam and leave some plain. Remember that the bottom cookies must be left intact if filling them, so don't cut circles or shapes out of these ones. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown. Allow the baked cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
- 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 powdered sugar as well as any remaining cookies.
Notes
- Ensure the dough is properly chilled before attempting to roll it out. If it isn't chilled it will stick to your work surface and be hard to shape with cutters.
- Roll out the dough to an even thickness so that the cookies bake evenly.
- If you are new to baking and are unsure of your oven, only bake a few cookies at first and see if you need to adjust the temperature and timing of the bake.
Alex says
I love this recipe! These cookies held their shape during baking and they were so buttery and delicious. I filled some with apricot jam and some with strawberry.
Julia says
These cookies are so buttery and delicious!