These sandwich cookies are buttery, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth goodness! You can also customize your filling, spread on one cookie and sandwich away!
* This recipe was updated in 2021 with new photos 🙂
These jam filled sandwich cookies are jammin'!
Yes, I've made that joke before. No, I'm not going to stop.
I cannot begin to explain to you all how much I love these cookies! I've been eating jam filled sandwich cookies for as long as I remember, but this homemade version is my favorite way to make them.
You've got 2 crumbly cookies that just melt in your mouth, sandwiching a generous dollop of jam. PERFECTION! You can also switch out the apricot jam for whichever jam you love, or even different types of fillings!
How to make sandwich cookies with apricot jam filling:
Start by creaming together your butter and sugar. Mix the 2 ingredients together until you no longer see any dry sugar granules. Add in your egg yolks and vanilla extract, and whisk to incorporate. It'll look lumpy and separated, but that's totally fine!
Add your flour, cornstarch and salt to the egg / butter mixture. Mix everything together until your dough starts to stick together into large clumps. If you squeeze the dough between your hands, it should stick together and feel soft.
Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to press and shape your dough into a disk. Wrap up, and refrigerate for about 1 hour before rolling out the dough. Alternatively, you can stick the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.
Unwrap your chilled dough and place on a lightly floured work surface. I like to knead the dough a bit with my hands before rolling it out so it softens slightly. This makes it easier to roll.
Roll the dough out into about ¼ inch thick and cut. You can use any shape and size cookie cutter you like here. This dough will make about 12 sandwich cookies that are about 2 inches in diameter.
Arrange your cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake. You'll probably need 2 large baking sheets to fit all of these cookies. It's also a good idea to use one baking sheet for your cookies with the hole in the center, and one baking sheet for the cookies without the hole. The cookies with the center cutout tend to bake faster, so you may need to take them out sooner.
The cookies with the center cutout are usually ready by the 10 minute mark, while the cookies without the cutout usually take 12 minutes. Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven until very lightly golden brown on the bottom and edges.
Cool cookies completely before sandwiching. Let your cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet so they firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before sandwiching.
Spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on a cookie without the center cutout and top with a center cutout cookie. (Optional) Top the sandwiched cookies with powdered sugar before enjoying.
Sandwich cookie filling:
These sandwich cookies can be filled with any style jam you like, and you can even play around with other spreads. I'm obsessed with apricot jam, so you'll see me spreading it on basically anything I can get my hands on. You can use whatever your favorite jam is! Some other favorites include strawberry jam, blackberry jam, and raspberry jam.
You also don't have to stick to fruit fillings for these cookies! Hazelnut spread, chocolate buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache, caramel, and vanilla buttercream frosting are some other filling options. But again, feel free to experiment with your favorite spreads!
How to store sandwich cookies:
Part of the beauty of these cookies is that they are unbelievably good with storage! AKA you can make larger batches and keep emergency supplies of cookie dough stuffed away. And yes, you should have emergency supplies of cookie dough on hand. You never know ...
You can really store these cookies at any stage of the process: raw dough, shaped dough, baked cookies, or sandwiched cookies. How long they last will change depending on which stage you choose to store them at and how you store them.
Storing cookies at room temperature:
You can store the baked cookies (filled or unfilled) at room temperature. Make sure to transfer the cookies to an airtight container or plastic bag and seal well. The baked cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature without jam and up to 3 days with jam.
The raw dough should be kept stored in the fridge or freezer at all times, until it's time to roll and shape.
Storing cookies in the fridge:
Raw cookie dough (shaped or not) will keep in your fridge for up to 5 days. Wrap the dough well with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If not using within that time, then you can freeze the dough. More on freezing below!
I find baked cookies keep their texture better when stored at room temperature. If you would like to store your baked cookies in the fridge, it doesn't do too much to extend the shelf life, because the fridge does have some moisture, which can spoil your cookies. The baked cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge.
How to freeze sandwich cookies:
By far my favorite way to store these cookies. They are perfect for freezing! You can freeze the dough either shaped whole into a disk, or you can roll and cut your cookies before freezing to make them easy to bake off whenever needed.
To freeze the whole dough, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then either place in a freezer bag or wrap with another layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. To freeze rolled and cut cookies, place on a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 1 hour, or until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer bag and freeze. This dough will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you're a fan of cookies, check out these other cookie recipes!
• Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies (without eggs)
• No-Bake Chocolate Cornflakes Cookies
• Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Jam Filled Sandwich Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies (approx.)
Description
These sandwich cookies are buttery, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth goodness! You can also customize your filling, spread on one cookie and sandwich away!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 & ½ cups all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled, plus more for rolling and cutting
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup apricot jam * see notes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugar together until smooth and the sugar is fully dissolved. Add in your egg yolks and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine everything together.
- Add your flour, cornstarch, and salt to the butter / egg mixture. Mix until you get a crumbly dough that holds its shape when squeezed together. Transfer the cookie dough to a large piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough down and shape into a disk. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until it firms up. You can also place the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it quicker.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. - Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to a ¼ inch thick. Use a lightly floured, 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out your cookie shapes. Use a smaller cookie cutter (about ¾ inch) to cut holes in the center of half of your cookies for the sandwich tops.
- Arrange the cut cookies on your baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of distance between each cookie. ** (see notes) Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining dough. Bake your cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just slightly golden around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on your baking sheet. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature before sandwiching. Spread around 1 teaspoon of your jam on one of your cookies that don't have a hole in the center. Top your jam with one of the cookies with a center cutout. Gently press to push the jam to the edges. Repeat with the remaining cookies until they're all sandwiched.
- (Optional) Top your cookies with a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
* You can customize what you fill your sandwich cookies. I decided to go with apricot jam because it's my favorite! But you can use any jam or filling you like. You can even go with other spreads like chocolate ganache, buttercream frosting, or caramel sauce.
** It's a good idea to reserve one of your baking sheets for cookies that have a center cutout and one for your cookies without a center hole. The cookies with the cutout tend to bake up faster, so you may need to take them out earlier (around the 10 minute mark).
Storage Instructions: Keep your cookies stored in an airtight container for longest freshness. At room temperature, these cookies keep for up to 3 days sandwiched or for up to 5 days plain. In the fridge, filled cookies will keep for up to 5 days, while the plain cookies will keep for around 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: To freeze your cookie dough, wrap well with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil, or place in a freezer bag. To freeze shaped cookie dough, freeze on a baking sheet until solid (about 1 hour) then transfer to a freezer bag and seal. The dough will keep for up to 3 months frozen.
Defrosting Instructions: To defrost whole frozen dough, place in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, to defrost completely. Roll and bake as usual. To defrost shaped cookies, arrange them on a baking sheet in one layer and defrost in the fridge overnight or on your counter for a few hours. If defrosting on your counter, be careful not to let the dough get too soft before baking (refrigerate if necessary)! Bake normally.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Enjoy!
Mary ann Anderson says
I just made these cookies. They taste great,however, the dough is
Very dry. I added more butter to make it easier to roll out. Also, I should have stuck to the round shape because I used a star & when I tried using my smaller star cutter for the inside cutout & tried using my spatula to put the outside cookie on the cookie sheet, it broke apart. I bake quite a lot so thought this recipe would be easy!
Betty says
Dough is way too dry - may work with whole eggs instead of yolks.