Description
These classic buttery shortbread sandwich cookies are filled with sweet plum jam and dusted with powdered sugar. They’re easy to make and perfectly on theme for the holidays.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plum jam, or flavor of your choice
- Confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or two with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until combined. Add the vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Next, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.
- Dump the dough onto a surface dusted with flour. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic and then chill for at least 30 minutes. You can also divide the dough into two discs and freeze one for later use.
- On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the disc of cookie dough until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Using the Linzer cookie cutters, cut dough into an equal number of solid bottom cookies and top cookies (with the cut-out design). If the dough cracks, just wait a few minutes for the dough to warm up. Reroll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all of the dough is used.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. You might want to bake the tops and the bottoms separately because the tops will cook a bit faster (less dough).
- Bake until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes for the tops and 11 minutes for the bottoms.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then dust the top cookies with confectioners’ sugar and transfer all of the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.
- Spread 1/2 teaspoon of plum jam on each bottom cookie. Then carefully top each with a top cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
- Store the cookies at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Cool Your Dough: I recommend chilling your cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using it.
Use a Linzer Cookie Cutter Set: Make life easy for yourself and use a Linzer cookie cutter. I use this inexpensive Linzer cookie cutter set from Wilton. It comes with 6 different shape options and costs about $10 on Amazon.
Adding the Powdered Sugar: Add the coating of powdered sugar to the tops of the cookies BEFORE you put the cookies together. If you wait until you’ve already assembled them, you’ll cover up the cut-out window.
Storing and Freezing: These cookies are best eaten within two days. If they sit too long, the jam will likely make the cookie soggy. You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Holiday
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 221
- Sugar: 13.4 g
- Sodium: 26.6 mg
- Fat: 11.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.4 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30.5 mg