These little jam-filled cookies have become a permanent fixture in my kitchen. The dough is buttery and just barely sweet, the jam inside gets all warm and jammy when they bake, and the whole thing takes maybe 30 minutes start to finish. I brought this recipe back from a trip a while ago and honestly my family is so glad I did. They disappear off the plate every single time.
For the dough:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter
- ½ cup plain yogurt
For the filling and topping:
- ¾ cup thick jam, any flavor you love (I use strawberry, apricot, or plum)
- powdered sugar for dusting
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and work it in with your fingers until you get a crumbly, sandy mixture. Pour in the yogurt and mix just until the dough comes together. Don’t overwork it or the cookies will get tough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about a quarter inch thick. Cut into squares, roughly 3 inches across. Put a small spoonful of jam right in the center of each square, then fold two opposite corners up over the filling and pinch them gently together. They’ll look like little open envelopes and the jam peeks out from the sides in the prettiest way.
Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes until the bottoms are just barely golden. Don’t wait for them to brown on top or they’ll dry out. Let them cool for a few minutes, then dust generously with powdered sugar.
That’s it. Soft, buttery, a little tangy from the yogurt, with that sweet jammy center. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, or honestly just standing over the kitchen counter when no one is looking.