Christmas jam cookies

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This article was published 08/12/2012 (4729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This recipe from Emily Lucko features a rich buttery cookie studded with nuts and finished with jam.

Christmas jam cookies

340 g (1 1/2 cups) butter, softened

425 ml (1 3/4 cups) icing sugar, divided

1 egg
500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour
250 ml (1 cup) cornstarch
250 ml (1 cup) very finely chopped walnuts
250 ml (1 cup) very finely chopped pecans
125 ml (1/2 cup) raspberry jam
15 ml (1 tbsp) orange juice

In a large bowl, cream together butter and 250 ml (1 cup) icing sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg. Sift together flour and cornstarch and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the nuts. Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 160C (325F). On a floured surface, roll dough out 5 mm (1/4 in) thick, cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on lightly oiled cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. While cookies are baking, heat jam with orange juice in microwave at low heat until mixed and melted. Cool cookies on sheets for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks with wax paper underneath for easy cleanup. While cookies are still warm, lightly brush with jam mixture, then sprinkle with some of the remaining icing sugar. Sprinkle again when cool. Yields about 7 dozen.

Tester’s notes: With a combination of pastry-like cookie, nuts and jam, this lovely little cookie resembles an Austrian Linzer torte. The nuts need to be chopped very fine for this delicate cookie, and the dough really does need four hours of chilling or it will be too fragile and fiddly to work with. I used seedless raspberry jam, but you could experiment.