The most beautiful time of the year is here and we wonder what kind of sweets shall we make for our beloved ones. Carolina Doriti proposes us Jam-Filled Christmas Cookies for our new series of cooking recipes Wise Home Cooking!
Ingredients for 18 cookies:
150 gr butter, softened
75 gr powdered sugar + extra for sprinkling
1 large egg
50 gr blanched almonds, finely ground or store-bought almond flour
300 gr all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
Zest from 1 unwaxed, organic lemon
Aronia and orange jam – Dolopia
Cooking instructions:
Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the egg and mix well. Add in the ground almonds, the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix until incorporated. Shift flour and baking powder and slowly add it into the butter mix until combined. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven at 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the dough on floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out to an even thickness of approximately 3mm (1/8 inch). Using a round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Arrange them on the parchment paper. Cut out a hole or shape of your choice using a small cookie cutter, in the center of half of the cookies and remove scraps. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Sprinkle the cookies with holes with powdered sugar. Spoon 1 tsp on jam at the center of each cookie without a hole. Press together jam-filled cookie with holed-cookies to form a sandwich and arrange on a festive platter.