These Heart Jam Cookies are rich, buttery, filled with strawberry jam, and melt in your mouth. The prettiest thumbprint cookies ever!
There is something about the buttery shortbread base and sweet jelly in these Heart Jam Cookies that make them irresistible. I love making them for special, elegant events!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These heart cookies are:
- Easy to make with simple ingredients!
- Perfect for Valentine's Day, Elegant Showers or Parties, and Tea Time desserts!
- Everyone will love the shortbread base and they are easily customizable with your favorite jams and gourmet preserves!
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour.
- Unsalted Butter: use good quality butter do not substitute margarine as the cookies will spread.
- Granulated Sugar
- Strawberry Preserves: I love these! Use any good-tasting jam or preserves that you enjoy. Strawberry, raspberry, and cherry are lovely for Valentine's day but apricot, blueberry, and orange are also delicious.
- Corn Starch: cornstarch gives these cookies the melt-in-your-mouth texture we all love.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract: almond extract would also be delicious in these cookies!
- Egg Yolks: just the yolks of the eggs help to keep the cookies nice and tender.
How to Make Heart Jam Cookies:
- Cream together butter and sugar.
- Add wet ingredients.
- Gradually add dry ingredients.
- Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl and combine all ingredients.
- Scoop dough.
- Form into a ball and place on cookie sheet.
- Use a small spoon to create a heart indent.
- Fill the indent with jam.
- Bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key to keeping the shape and preventing your heart shaped cookies from spreading is proper chilling time. I recommend chilling the dough for 1 hour before shaping. After shaping and filling, chill the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes in the freezer, before baking.
Jam cookies can be refrigerated and will stay fresh for up to a week when stored in an airtight container. I recommend bringing them to room temperature before eating for the best texture. However, if you prefer not to refrigerate they will stay fresh in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for about 3 days.
There are 2 ways that I like to make a heart-shaped indent in these cookies. You can either
a)simply use your thumbprints at an angle to form a heart or:
b) my favorite method: use the end of a small espresso spoon to gently press the heart shape into the dough.
Expert Tips
- Resist the urge to skip the chilling time noted in the recipe for the cookies or they will spread and not hold the pretty heart shape.
- When adding the heart indent use light pressure so you don’t crack your cookies. If you do have cracks don't worry you can mold them back together easily with the warmth of your fingers.
- Don’t overfill the heart indents or the jam can ooze out of the cookies and make a mess.
- Feel free to use other preserve/jam flavors like raspberry, cherry, blueberry apricot, or orange.
- These cookies can last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. They can last 3 months frozen.
You may also like...
Try my Candy Cookies or my Pie Crust Cookies for other fun treats!
Recipe
Heart Jam Cookies
Equipment
- large bowl
- electric mixer
- silicone spatula
- cookie scoop
- small spoon
- cookie sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup strawberry preserves can use any jam/preserves of choice
Instructions
- Mix butter with an electric hand mixer on medium speed in a large bowl for about 30 seconds.
- Add sugar to the bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure a smooth mixture with no grain.
- Next, add egg yolks and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually add the dry mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl and combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll it into balls with your hands. Place 12 balls about 1 inch apart on each cookie sheet.
- Using the end of a small spoon (I used espresso spoons) or your thumb gently press a heart shape into the balls.
- Fill each heart cavity with about ½ a teaspoon of strawberry jam.
- Chill the cookies for 10 minutes in the freezer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until they are golden on the bottom. Leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cool serve and enjoy with your favorite beverage.
Notes
expert tips
- Resist the urge to skip the chilling time noted in the recipe for the cookies or they will spread and not hold the pretty heart shape.
- When adding the heart indent use light pressure so you don’t crack your cookies. If you do have cracks don't worry you can mold them back together easily with the warmth of your fingers.
- Don’t overfill the heart indents or the jam can ooze out of the cookies and make a mess.
- Feel free to use other preserve/jam flavors like raspberry, cherry, blueberry apricot, or orange.
- These cookies can last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. They can last 3 months frozen.
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