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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.
Notes
PS. Happy Valentines Day! These would be perfect for your sweetheart 🙂
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! 🙂