A delicate little cookie filled with jam in the middle!
Ingredients
1cupunsalted butter, softened
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/4teaspoonsea salt
2cupsflour (plus 1-2 tablespoons if dough is sticky)
granulated sugar for dipping cookies
2/3cupjam or jelly, any flavor
Instructions
Mix butter and sugar together until blended well, about 2 minutes on medium in mixing bowl. Mix in salt and flour, just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.
Add a small amount of water (if needed) to form a soft dough that can be shaped. Shape the dough into a large disk in the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours until thoroughly chilled.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Shape the dough into 1/2-1 inch balls. Dip one side of the dough into sugar. Place the balls two inches apart on a cookie sheet, with the sugar-dipped side facing up.
Indent each cookie with the end of your thumb, taking care to not flatten the cookie too much, but making the indent about 1/2 inch into the center of the cookie. When you make the indent, use your other hand to hold the shape of the cookie and keep it in a small circle, pushing the outer edges of the cookie toward the center.
Bake on middle rack for about 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are firm to the touch.
Remove cookies from oven and let cool completely. Fill with jam.
Yields about 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size of dough ball.
Notes
You may use your thumb to make the indentation in the cookie, or a small (appetizer) spoon that has been sprayed with cooking spray. I prefer to use my thumb. Make sure the indentation is deep enough to hold its shape while being baked! It also needs to be deep enough to hold the jam.
If the cookie spreads while baking, you can gently push the edges of the cookie in, to form a circle, or use a round cookie cutter to reshape the cookie. To use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, place the cutter over the warm cookie, in a circular motion, go around the cookie quickly, reshaping the cookie into a circular shape.
This cookie may be frozen or stored at room temperature in an air tight container for a week. Once the cookie is filled with jam, the cookie will soften when stored in the container. To avoid a soft cookie, fill with jam on the day of serving, and do not cover.