Strawberry Jam Sandwich Cookies

Here, butter-rich cookies sandwich strawberry jam for a picnic or afternoon treat. For an even prettier presentation, use a second-smaller cookie cutter to cut a window in the top of each cookie before baking to allow the colorful jam to show. You can use any flavor of fruit jam — homemade tastes even sweeter!

 

Strawberry Jam Sandwich Cookies

 

2 1/4 cups (11 1/2 oz./260 g.) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g.) cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 cup (8 oz./250 g.) granulated sugar

1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk

About 2 cups (1 1/4 lb./625 g.) strawberry jam or other fruit jam

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

 

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter and zest until light. Add the granulated sugar and beat until completely incorporated. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into thirds. Flatten each third into a disk. Wrap separately in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

 

Dust 1 dough disk with flour and place between 2 large sheets of waxed paper. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch (3 mm.) thick. Using a 3-inch (7.5 cm.) decoratively shaped cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2 inch (12 mm.) apart. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Gather the dough scraps into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate.

 

Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining 2 disks, then roll out, cut, chill, and bake the scraps in the same manner.

 

Spread the jam on the bottoms of half of the cookies, spreading it lightly at the edges. Top with the remaining cookies, bottoms down. Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.