These shortbread cookies with jam have been one of my favorite for a very long time. I really don't know what not to like about them. They taste super, melt in your mouth, have a drop of chewy jam in the middle, and can be made in 25 minutes. Even 20 if you try hard enough. Serious. That is, of course, if your oven can get pre-heated in 10 minutes. I imagine gas ovens can do that very quickly, but I can only speculate.
Anyway, the process is super simple. First, soften your butter in a microwave, then mix it with powdered sugar, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. That's it. This recipe, unlike classic shortbread recipes, makes use of an egg white. This is necessary to soften the dough so that it can be piped more easily.
Pipe the cookies onto a baking sheet, put a drop of jam in the middle and bake. Any jam will do, as long as it is thick and doesn't spread out quickly. Thick jam will thicken even more in the oven and will become slightly chewy - I love that. Alternatively, a more runny type of jam can be thickened with 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of jam.
Gelatin or any other thickening agent will also do. If you don't have any of those handy, there is another simple method - heat a tablespoon or two of jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, constantly stirring, until the desired thickness is achieved. Actually, you can also make some jam very quickly, too. Place a handful of berries, or sliced apples, or any other fruit in a sauce pan, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar an heat over medium-low heat, constantly stirring for about 15 minutes, until it thickens. There is nothing like homemade jam.
For piping I used Wilton 1M (2110) Star Tip which worked fine, but I would love to give a larger star tip a try some day.
TIP: Some of my readers have had a challenge piping this batter. If that's the case with you, try the Ateco #828 tip which has a .63″ diameter opening, this one will do the trick.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes and you are done. It was quick, wasn't it?
Ingredients
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 40 g powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp thick jam apple, strawberry, etc. If not thick enough, add 1/2 tsp cornstarch.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Soften the butter by letting it sit at room temperature for 40 minutes or microwave it for about 15-20 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Next add the egg white, vanilla extract, salt and mix well.
- Finally, add the flour and mix well.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dough into a disposable pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe cookies onto the baking sheet. The cookies should be about 2 inches in diameter.
- Using a 1/4 thick stick, gently press in the center of each cookie, about half way. You want to make a little dent, not a hole. Fill the centers with a little bit of jam.
- Bake at 425F for about 8-10 minutes, or until the sides of the cookies are starting to turn golden brown.
charly says
great quick and easy recipe for how pretty and delicious these are 🙂 turned out wonderful with 1/3 cup carton egg whites
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
I am so happy to hear that. A few people have had issues with piping - the batter was too stiff for them - but I've never had that issue. Well, I did powerlifting back in the day, I guess that helped:) I had my teenage daughter try; she struggled too but was able to pipe with some serious effort. So I came up with the idea of using a larger tip so that worked well for her. I love these cookies, changing the recipe to make the batter softer changes their texture and they are not quite the same. Anyway, happy to hear that adding some extra egg whites helped you. Enjoy!
Marcia says
Hi,
I made two batches and was disappointed that the dough could not go through the pastry bag with large star tip, dough was thick. I ended up rolling in ball and making a hole to put the jam. The taste was very good but really wanted the pretty star look.
What went wrong?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Marcia, without seeing exactly what you did, it's hard to say. A few people mentioned the same problem to me, but I've never had that issue myself. I've asked my 12 year old daughter to make it some time back, she also struggled a little. She tried the Ateco #828 tip and it worked well for her. You can always soften up the doing by adding more butter. I am hesitant to change the recipe as this is an old recipe that was used commercially to make millions of these cookies. I want to keep it authentic, i love the taste of these cookies and wouldn't want to lose that. But like I said, try to use a larger tip like the one I mentioned above. If that fails, add more butter. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Darlene says
Can these be made with plant based butter?
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Never tried that so can't comment on that. Perhaps someone else can chime in.
Xice says
Hi Victor. I've just come across your blog and love the honesty in your descriptions and approach, particularly when it came to caneles (which is how I found you). Can't wait to try these lovely-looking light shortbread cookies with a blob of homemade kumquat marmalade in the middle.
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
Hi Xice, welcome to my blog. These are lovely shortbread cookies, my family loves them, though some people have been having challenges with piping the batter. The recipe is an old commercially used recipe, so it's spot on, no doubt about that. I personally have never had issues with piping. That said, I'd love you to try and tell me about your results. If you'd like to share some pictures, let me know, I will reach out to you via the email that you provided. Happy baking!
Alison says
Ok thanks! I’ll give it a try. I see now in your narrative description of the recipe above that after mixing sugar/butter, you add the rest of the ingredients all at once and mix. I’ll try it that way next time. I added the egg whites and whipped until homogeneous— similar to the Russian recipe.
I’m addicted to the honey mustard chicken now as well. Looking forward to trying more and more. Thank you for sharing!
victor says
You are very welcome, Alison.
Alison says
Hello! Wondering if you could provide more details on mixing? Did you use an electric mixer? How long did you mix? Asking because my dough was a little hard to pipe. I may have damaged my fingers 🤣. I did make a dbl batch. I mixed in the egg whites well, thinking this might provide extra stability? Might try more butter/sugar and less flour next time. They are good but I wanted more meltiness. Thank you Victor!
victor says
Hi Alison,
good to see you back on my blog. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Try this one, slightly lower flower ratio and slightly more sugar, should be easier to pipe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T41JeJtuI7w
The video is quite good, though in Russian. The recipe in English is in the description. Let me know how it turns out.
Suzanne gutt says
I need a translation of the ingredients
Tammy says
How many do u get from one recipe
victor says
16-18 cookies.
Jess M says
I'm impressed - mine came out just like yours and they are divine. They are somewhat different from the typical shortbread cookies but I loved them.
Deb says
The cookies spread flat
Kinda of bland. Don’t really have a shortbread flavor
victor says
Sorry to hear that. These should not spread out, so I assume something went wrong along the process. This recipe is not the typical American type shortbread, it's an adaptation of European style shortbread cookies which are less sweet and less fatty. The addition of jam adds the flavor. These cookies are widely made and sold in Eastern Europe, and I think the origin is France. I wouldn't call it a bland cookie, it's just a different kind of a shortbread cookie.
Love to bake says
I do not know the measurements in grams can you change them for me I am in ounces and pounds.
victor says
It's actually very easy. One ounce equals approximately 28 grams. Or you can use an online converter.
You may also be able to switch to grams on your kitchen scale. I have two kitchen scales, both have grams and ounces. I like grams as they are easier to work with. For example, 2 grams = 0.071 ounces. You can see how grams can be easier to measure. That's why baker's percentages for bread formulations are most of the time expressed in grams, not in ounces.
Donna Hardin says
Would these freeze well?
victor says
You should have no problem freezing these cookies.
Karen says
These look beautiful! I'm wondering if I can put a chocolate chip or a whole nut instead of jam. What do you think?
victor says
Karen, there is absolutely nothing wrong with experimenting and changing recipes to suit your persona taste - I do it all the time. That said, I think whole nuts or chocolate chips will be wonderful substitutions for jam in this recipe.
victor says
Hi Krinsane,
There are a few very good substitutes for eggs that provide similar binding properties. The Kitchn has an article that features 5 substitutes. http://www.thekitchn.com/5-vegan-substitutes-for-eggs-in-baking-tips-from-the-kitchn-136591
I would love to hear from you how the cookies turn out. Best, Victor.
Krinsane says
Hi Victor, these look delicious! Is there an alternative to use instead of egg white? My family and I are vegetarian and do not use eggs.
Nina says
Your ingredients list an egg white but the instructions say to add the egg yolk.
Could you clarify please?
Whatever it is, they look delicious!
Victor says
Good catch, Nina. It should be egg white. I corrected the recipe. Thank you for pointing out to me. I hope you enjoy the cookies.