Jam Filled Sandwich Cookies (Zirochki)
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The jam filled center softens these sandwich cookies making them tender, flaky and irresistible. They’re just in time for Valentines Day! You can use any kind of jam to fill these; raspberry, peach, apricot, or use a variety to make a beautiful array of colorful sandwich cookies.
I loved the lingonberry preserves from Ikea which are slightly tart and complimented the cookies perfectly! You can also make any shape you like; hearts for your Valentine, stars for July 4th, etc.
I brought these sandwich cookies to my worship team meeting and they were a hit. Since I made a bunch, I also distributed them to all of my sisters. That’s my sneaky diet plan ;). One of my readers, Oksana B., shared this recipe with me and I followed it almost exactly (using butter in leu of margarine) and they turned out fantastic!
Ingredients for Jam Filled Sandwich Cookies (Zirochki):
3 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour + more to dust for rolling *measured correctly
2 sticks (16 Tbsp) Unsalted butter, softened to room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp liquid honey
9 oz jar of your favorite jam or thick preserves (I used lingonberry preserves)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
How to Make Zirochki Cookies:
(Preheat the oven to 350˚F after step 3). Line a large cookie pan with parchment paper.
1. In a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour and 2 sticks softened butter and mix the dough together with your hands. It’s actually feels kind of nice to get your hands in there (let me know if you agree). Rub the dough between your fingers until it becomes a sandy texture with fine crumbles.
P.S. Oksana recommended that you use your hands for best results rather than a mixer. Oksana, I love that you shared your expert tips!
2. In a separate mixing bowl, add 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar and mix on high speed 5 minutes until pale yellow and smooth. Pour this mixture over the flour and mix gently with a spatula just until well incorporated.
3. In a small ramekin, combine 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp vinegar and stir until well combined. Pour soda mixture into the cookie batter along with 2 Tbsp of liquid honey and mix it into the dough well with a spatula. When it’s done, your dough should form into 1 mass. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temp for 30 min. While you’re waiting, pre-heat your oven to 350˚F
4. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll out one piece at a time keeping the rest of the dough covered at room temp. Sprinkle a clean non-stick surface and your piece of dough generously with flour and roll it out to an 1/8″ thick round. If your dough is sticky when rolling, just add more flour.
Use any shape of cookie cutter you like to cut out shapes. I used a fluted one. Transfer cookie shapes to a cookie pan lined with parchment paper about 1/2″ apart. Collect the scraps and blend them back into your remaining dough.
5. Poke a hole in half of your cookies (all I had was a straw so I poked the hole and then worked it around to make a 1/3″ opening. Keep in mind the hole shrinks quite a bit so make it bigger than you think it should be. I kinda wish my holes were bigger. I think I need to buy bigger straws ;). You will have 24 cookies with holes and 24 without.
6. Bake at 350˚F for 5-8 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Watch them closely since they turn golden quickly. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temp. I baked in two batches.
7. Once the cookies are room temp, spread your jam onto the base of the cookie and top with the poked cookie. Press the sides together, then dip both sides in powdered sugar. These cookies can be eaten right away but are even better a few hours later or even the next day after they’ve had a chance to soften from the jam. These keep well covered at room temperature overnight or covered and refrigerated.
So Stinkin’ good!
P.S. Thanks to all of you who have shared your amazing favorite recipes with me! Keep ’em coming 😉 You are awesome!
Jam Filled Sandwich Cookies (Zirochki)
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks, 16 Tbsp Unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp liquid honey
- 9 oz jar of your favorite jam or thick preserves, I used lingonberry preserves
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
-
Line a large cookie pan with parchment paper (Preheat the oven to 350˚F after step 3)
-
In a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour and 2 sticks softened butter and mix the dough together with your hands. It's actually feels kind of nice to get your hands in there (let me know if you agree). Rub the dough between your fingers until it becomes a sandy texture with fine crumbles. P.S. Oksana recommended that you use your hands for best results rather than a mixer.
-
In a separate mixing bowl, add 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar and mix on high speed 5 minutes until pale yellow and smooth. Pour this mixture over the flour and mix gently with a spatula just until well incorporated.
-
In a small ramekin, combine 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp vinegar and stir until well combined. Pour soda mixture into the cookie batter along with 2 Tbsp of liquid honey and mix it into the dough well with a spatula. When it's done, your dough should form into 1 mass. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temp for 30 min. Now pre-heat your oven to 350˚F
-
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll out one piece at a time keeping the rest of the dough covered at room temp. Sprinkle a clean non-stick surface and your piece of dough generously with flour and roll it out to an 1/8" thick round. If your dough is sticky when rolling, just add more flour. Use a any shape of cookie cutter you like to cut out shapes. I used a fluted one. Transfer cookie shapes to a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps and blend them back into your remaining dough.
-
Poke a hole in half of your cookies (all I had was a straw so I poked the hole and then worked it around to make a 1/3" opening. Keep in mind the hole shrinks quite a bit so make it bigger than you think it should be. I kinda wish my hole were bigger. So, you will have 24 cookies with holes and 24 without.
-
Bake at 350˚F for 5-8 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Watch them closely since they turn golden quickly. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temp. I baked in two batches.
-
Once the cookies are room temp, spread your jam onto the base of the cookie and top with the poked cookie. Press the sides together, then dip both sides in powdered sugar.
Recipe Notes
These cookies can be eaten right away but are even better a few hours later or even the next day after they've had a chance to soften from the jam.
PS. Happy Valentines Day! These would be perfect for your sweetheart 🙂
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
We called them thimble cookies when I was a kid. Gramma used a sewing thimble to make the perfect hole for those toppers.
Made these cookies today. They are really easy and fun to make with kids. Can I freeze ready cookies?
Hi Milena! I haven’t tested that, so I’m not sure how they would taste after thawing. The un-assembled cookies would last in a Ziploc bag at least a week if you let them cool to room temp and keep them in a cool, dry place. They would probably freeze well too. Let us know if you experiment.
Hi Natasha! Thank you for this delicious recipe. Made it and loved it!
Can we store these for a week? Is it possible? If not, can you please share a tweak to the recipe that will help us to? Thank you, Nat!
FYI- For those who realize that they don’t have baking soda, in the last min. your substitute- 1 part baking soda = 3 parts baking powder (tried and true)!
Hi, I think these could work well being stored up to 7 days.
Yes you are a storyteller
Awesome cookies! Easy and fun to make! I love jam cookies
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Melting in the mouth! Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe, Natasha, these turned out great! I found that the powdered sugar stuck better when I sifted the powdered sugar onto the cookies before filling with jam. They turned out delicious and I’ll definitely be making them again soon!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Barbara, are you planning to fill them and then freeze them? I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure how they would taste after thawing. The un-assembled cookies would last in a Ziploc bag at least a week if you let them cool to room temp and keep them in a cool, dry place.
I’m full blooded German and we made a cookie similar to yours every Christmas. When the cookies were on the rack we had an assemble line going. While the cookies are still warm the first person spread on the currant jelly jam, the second person put the tops on and the third person spreads on a glaze using the back of a teaspoon and put cookies on rack until cooled and glaze hardened. It is very important that the current jelly and the glaze is spread on while the cookie is still warm. For the top cookie my mother used a thimble for the hole. The glaze was a simple water and sifted powder sugar. Mix until smooth but not runny. I have so many great memories of my mother, sister and I making these cookies.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha I made the cookies and they are absolutely great. I have never done cookies before ,the steps are easy to follow and the pictures are very helpful too.Actually the most tasty cookies I have ever had. l will always make them. For the sugar I added 3/4 cup and they were still yummy. I can even make it half cup of sugar since they are filled with jam and covered with sugar. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Natasha!
Could you tell me please, if I can leave dough in the fridge overnight and then bring it to room temperature, then follow the recipe? I already made it and didn’t realize that it requires some extra time for resting. Also it is almost midnight lol
Hi Lana, I haven’t tried that but I imagine the dough will be firm and difficult to roll the next day – you may need to let it come to room temperature again until it’s easier to roll out.
Just made these to send out for Valentines Day. They look beautiful. They taste like NOTHING!! I am so disappointed. The dough tasted delicious raw. ( I admit I tasted it!!…several times! ) but the finished product was TASTELESS! I am going to let it sit overnight to see if flavor develops but, as of a few hours out of the oven, they are not worth baking again… I’m wondering if there was supposed to be flavoring of some kind…vanilla, or almond extract. The texture of the dough was wonderful, just no flavor!
Hi Sandy, these are a traditional cookie that is typically served with jam or even powdered sugar. Did you try them with jam per the recipe? Once they are left overnight with the jam in the center, the jam softens the cookie and imparts extra flavor to make these cookies quite memorable in flavor.
i followed directions exactly, altho the dough to me appeared to be wildly too soft. Tried to roll. eventually used almost 1/2 c. flour to roll and it did get to right thickness. But impossible to get the cut shapes off the surface on which they were rolled. Now have it in refrig, hoping that will permit using it.
I hope they work out for you Gail! We look forward to your feedback.
I’m having the same issue! I am also chilling the dough to get it to firm up a bit, I can cut shapes but when I try to lift them off the board and remove excess it doesn’t hold shape.
Same issue here as well, finally made them a bit thicker and was a little less irritating
Hi Natasha these cookies where amazing! LOVE! Can I substitute the butter with margarine though?
Hi Rebekah, honestly I haven’t tested with that so I cannot advise it will work out. If you experiment please let me know how you like that recipe.
I doubled the recipe and added two butter and two margarine. The dough ended up being a lot more stickier and a little bit more difficult to handle, but still the same great taste!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rebekah!
Hello Natasha.I very like yours reciepies.Please write me ,haw many grams is butter in USA ?In my quantry is 250g.Thank you.xxx
Hi Ela! I’m so happy you like our recipes! One stick of butter (or 8 Tbsp Unsalted butter) is equal to 113 grams. This recipe calls for 2 sticks. I hope this helps!
Hi Natasha,
So glad to find this recipe. My sister-in-law is from the Ukraine. Her mom was a baker in that country. She was one of the finest cooks I’ve ever known. I watched her make these cookies, and she combined the flour and butter with her hands on parchment paper at the table. I remember her making a well in the middle and putting the wet ingredients in and folding it all together with her hands. She used a thimble to cut the holes in the tops of the cookies. So glad to have this recipe. They are awesome cookies. The smell of the butter as they bake is still fresh in my mind. Can’t wait to try.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Mary Jane!!
hi
how to store them after applying jam??
Thanks 🙂
Hi Momina, they will do great at room temperature overnight. They can also be covered and refrigerated.
I would like to use this recipe to create a giant (12″) heart-shaped cookie with 2 layers and raspberry filling for a Valentines Day dance. What do you think? Would the dough stand up to exiting the pan and staying in 1 piece if I made it a little thicker?
Hi Mark, I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure how easy or difficult it would be to get them out of a giant heart shaped pan. I usually cut the shape on these before baking. I think it could work, but again, I haven’t tested it to say for sure. If you experiment, I would love to see a photo of the finished product!
I made a trial batch of the large heart-shaped cookies with raspberry jam. My samplers said they were a bit dry. I was very liberal in using flour to prevent sticking. The 2nd and final batch was made with brown sugar for moisture, and I rolled the dough between sheets of parchment paper (cut to the heart shape). No extra flour! The final batch came out very moist yet firm and strong enough to move around. Many thanks, folks liked the cookies and your recipe made 2 filled 12″ heart cookies.
Hi Mark, it is best if you let these soften overnight with the jam – the cookie absorbs some of the moisture from the jam and turns out very nice and soft 🙂
I love making these cookies for Christmas but I think that they definitely don’t need a whole cup of sugar in the dough. I only put half a cup and they very still pretty sweet from the honey, Jam, and Powdered sugar.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Hello again! How far ahead can i make those? Thinking for Xmas!Thx x
Hi Vika, I would say 3-5 days in advance would work great and probably up to 7 days.
Hey Natasha thank you for this splendid recipe! They turned it really good! My mom made some homemade blackberry jam in 7/2015 and it worked just fine! Thank you again and May God Bless You And Your Family!
Thank you for sharing your review! God Bless you Katya!! 🙂
I just realized halfway through making these cookies that I don’t have baking soda, can I substitute with baking powder?
I have not tried that substitution so I can’t say for sure. Keep in mind that baking soda is 3 to 4 times stronger than baking powder.
They actually worked out with the baking powder! Thanks!
These are SO good. This is the second Christmas I’ve made them, and they always get a ton of compliments. Thanks!
I’m happy to hear that Shelby! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Just tried this cookie recipe…it has been my favorite since forever. The cookies turned beautifully even thought I forgot the honey oops!!!
I’m so glad you like them Simone, thank you for such a nice review 😀.
These are super yummy thank you.
My son gave me a hug as soon as he took a bite.
A baker taught me a trick of using a grater with butter or lard for blending it into flour….. Best trick ever
Awww what a sweet moment. My heart just melted. That’s so sweet :). Thanks for sharing the tip about grating the butter!
Great recipe!!!!! Very delicious cookies!!!!! Thank you so much for your site!!!
Thank you Nataly for such a nice review 🙂
Thank you for the delicious recipe! My boys had a great time making them!
How fun! I’m so glad you all enjoyed the recipe :).
please tell me how to make the jam set or chewy when putting two layers of biscuits together
You’ll just have to leave the jam in there overnight so the cookie abosrbs some of the moisture. The cookie gets softer and the filling thickens slightly. Alternatively if your jam is very loose, you might boil it down on the stove until it reaches desired thickness (being careful not to scorch it since jams are pretty thick).
I baked these cookies last night and was disappointed at first because they came out a bit crunchy and I wanted soft. However you said that the next day they would soften because of the jam. It is now the next day and they are nice and chewy and very tasty.
Yay! I’m glad you liked the outcome 🙂 I definitely like them more after they’ve had time to soften up.
Hi, I just made these cookies in the shape of Christmas Tree. They were delicious. My mom used to make these. She is 91 years old and still lives in Poland and so is my whole family.
Anyway, instead of using a straw to make a hole, I used what my mom used which is a thimble which works great.
Would like to attach a picture but don’t know how.
I wish there was a way to attach pictures with comments. The only way you could do that is if you post a picture on my Facebook page. The thimble idea is brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing. Have a wonderful Christmas!
These cookies look so dreamy! They would also be great for Christmas with some spices and a cranberry or orange marmalade.
Oooh I love those ideas!
Hi
Would these freeze well??thanks JJ
Hi Judy, are you planning to fill them and then freeze them? I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how they would taste after thawing. The cookies un-assembled would last in a ziploc bag at least a week if you let them cool to room temp and keep them in a cool, dry place.
These cookies are so delicious. Next time you make these again try to fill them with the chocolate frosting that you have posted. Also, dip both sides in melted chocolate instead of powder sugar. Amazing 🙂
Are you talking about the chocolate ganache in the center? Mmm that does sound wonderful and super chocolatey! 🙂
I’m talking about the frosting that you make for the cake praga and the chocolate cupcakes frosting. The frosting from the cake praga goes in the center as a filling and on top of the cookie melted chocolate
My goodness that sounds amazing!
Hello!! Your website is delicious! Our family has enjoyed many recipes. Was wanting to make these cookies but then came across the shortcake ones. Do they both taste about the same?
These are less buttery than the shortbread cookies. I think I like these a little better 🙂
When I make these, I use a bottle cap from the water bottle to make the holes. It works great!
That’s a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Great recipe! Where do you get your lingonberry preserves?
IKEA in Cali 🙂
Im so glad I found your website. Made these cookies with my 4 year old and we put cocoa almond spread in some. The rest we made with jam. They are delicious and dangerous for my waistline 😉 Thank you. Im looking forward making more goodies using your recipes. Spasibo ogromnoye!
You’re so very welcome! Thank you for sharing how you made them. It’s hilariously fun to cook with 4-yr olds. I love it when my 4-yr old son helps in the kitchen. The idea of cocoa almond spread sounds a-mazing!
I made these cookies several times already, very popular with my kids:)
I did use “winter flour” which is a lighter flour for cakes and cookies. The cookies came out slightly crunchy and soft. Simply delicious!
Oh I’ve never heard of “winter flour.” Where do you buy it? Is that a specific brand or type of flour?
Hello
I made this cookies yesterday and the dough was to sticky, I couldn’t roll them out; I try adding more flour but nothing work. What did I did wrong? I really would like to give them a second chance so i need your advice, thanks!
Usually if they are sticky it means they need more flour. What kind of flour did you use? I also make sure to flour my rolling surface, the top of the dough and even the rolling pin for better rolling results. Hope that helps! 🙂
WOW i made these cookies on Sunday and almost everyone ate them in one day,my whole family said they had an amazing taste..:)
Aww thanks girl! That’s music to my ears 🙂
thank you !! Natasha mogu I poloshit v mesto baking soda baking powdered thank you
The baking soda is important in this recipe and is activated by the vinegar. I recommend using baking soda, not baking powder.
Hello!!!
what is the purpose of putting cookies in sugar powder?
because the dough not sweet enough or just décor?
im asking because if baking for kids it gets really messy when they eat it.
would it still taste good without powder?
Thanks!!!
Both 🙂 The powdered sugar isn’t as messy after a few hours and especially the next day. It would still taste great without the powdered sugar, but it definitely adds something nice 🙂
Didn’t get the sandy texture with the dough but maybe that’s because the butter was TOO soft? Just finished baking them and now waiting for them to cool completely because spreading the raspberry goodness and dipping them. They smell amazing already though!
Any kind of fine crumbles are ok 🙂 I hope you love the cookies!
Hi Natasha I have a question do you have to make the holes in the top cookies? I’m thinking to skip that step
You could skip them. They are mostly for visual appeal.
Made them with my son today, very yummy and easy. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome and how fun that you made them with your son!
Natasha,
Thank you for the delicious zirochki, I made them with apricot jam. I don’t have an oven, so I baked mine in my multi cooker, was a little worried but they turned out. 🙂
Great, thank you for the good report Julie :).
These look amazing Natasha!
Thanks Luba. They taste amazing! 🙂
I made these cookies and ohhhh we gobbled them all up! I made them with strawberry, raspberry and apricot jam. They were especially delicious the next day after the jam softened them! My husband has requested me to make more! Thank you sooooo much for all them scrumptious recipes! Blessings to you for all you do dear!
Thank you for such a sweet comment! You’re awesome and I’m so happy that you and your hubby both enjoyed the cookies. I love that you use different kinds of jam. I’ll have to experiment more next time I make these!
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes!!!! but the only down part is that you dont post recipes that often. Other sites that I visit post a recipe at least every 1-2 days. I hate it when I go on your site and for the 6th day there are no new recipes.
It’s definitely a full time job. I usually post every 3 days, but we’ve been on vacation so it hasn’t been as often this week. Looking forward to getting back in the groove. In the mean time there are about 400 recipes you can check out on my blog 😉
Trust me i have made about every recipe of yours:), so i am always excited when you post something new.
Now that’s impressive! 🙂 I have some more great recipes coming this week.
Hi Natasha, for me I think you need a vacation!!!, I can wait, like you said you have lots of recipes in your blog!
Blessings!!! And thanks for taking your time to share your talent!!
My pleasure Cristina!
Looks yummy! Do these cookies come out crunchy or soft?
They are lightly crunchy at first but after a few hours with jam they soften and they are just incredible! I hope you love them! They are even softer the next day. So good!
I made these last night. Awesome cookies. I have been looking for a good recipe for a long time, this is it! I used (homemade) blueberry, peach and apple jam. However, I had to add Nutella to several of them! Definitely don’t brown cookies too much. I too, had a very wet dough. Had to add more flour while rolling. I roll mine in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, as I keep dusting with flour. Worked well.
I can understand why you “had to” add Nutella 🙂
Hi Natasha I made the cookies and they are absolutely great. I have never done cookies before ,the steps are easy to follow and the pictures are very helpful too.Actually the most tasty cookies I have ever had. l will always make them. For the sugar I added 3/4 cup and they were still yummy. I can even make it half cup of sugar since they are filled with jam and covered with sugar. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much for your awesome feedback, Rana. Glad that you loved the cookies!
Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. I love all your recipes, you are an amazing cook:)
I haven’t tried it. Based on my research, it should work as a substitute. As long as the vinegar activates the baking soda and you see the fizz, it should be a go 🙂
Hey girl i just made this recipe and now I’m waiting on the dough to sit for 30minutes. One question, after I added the last step of honey and mixed with spatula the dough was still sticky. Was yours like that too? I’m worried that when I take it out to role the dough it won’t stick? Any suggestions?
It was still a little sticky. You need to dust your non-stick countertop and rolling pin with flour to keep it from sticking when rolling out. If it seems too sticky, you can always dust a little extra flour under and over your dough.
I LIKE YOUR RECIPES VERY VERY MUCH
THANK YOU SO MUCH
FATTY
I’m so glad you like my recipes! 🙂 Thank you!
Perfect recipe for Valentines Day! One of my girlfriends told me: Something is wrong with you, you are too perfect. Your house is always clean, you always look good and you always come up with amazing dishes at every family reunion. There is gotta be a catch! Poor thing she doesn’t know that I sneak all my recipes from Natashaskitchen.com ))) Thanks for making my life easier , my husband loooves my cooking, my mother in law gives me compliments and everybody worships my cooking skills 🙂 I don’t spend hours in the kitchen but my family has healthy tasty meals every day because you Natasha are an amazing person. You brought to us all this recipes and trust me a lot of familes got happier because our husbands are not hungry no more! ))) Thank you from the bottom of my heart! God Bless you!
Poor girl… lol. You’re hilarious. Yeah my house is only clean because of my husband. I’m so thankful for him. He’s truly my better half. Thanks for your awesome compliments. I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
Oh these look so yummy! My family makes something similar but with apricot jam 🙂
Oh my goodness apricot jam is what I’m trying next! 🙂