Best 5 Italian Jam Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN JAM COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat eggs, sugar, oil, milk and lemon rind on medium speed for 3 minutes or until well mixed.
• Mix in all of the baking powder and gradually add the flour. Blend until the flour is all incorporated and the dough is firm.
• Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until firm enough to roll, adding flour as needed. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, then roll each piece into a 9 inch square about 1/4 inch thick.
• Spread 3 heaping tablespoons of the filling over the top third of the dough, then roll length wise. Seal the roll and seal the ends tucking then underneath. Place the rolls, seal side down on the ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until golden in colour.
• Once cooled, frost the top of the rolls then sprinkle with the coloured candy. Let the frosting set until hard then slice the rolls into 1 inch pieces or desired thickness.
• Filling: Either use a thick jam, pie filling or marmalade, or mix the regular jam with any of the desired ingredient until the jam is thick.
• Frosting: Whip the egg white and sugar until thick and spreadable, about 3 - 5 minutes.

GINA'S ITALIAN BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Combine butter, sugar, and shortening in a large bowl; cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in almond paste until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and almond extract. Reduce the mixing speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl once all dry ingredients are added, then mix on medium speed until evenly combined, about 30 seconds.
• Fit a large pastry bag with an 864 or 4S tip and fill bag with batter. Pipe evenly sized cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart, giving cookies space to puff slightly during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven, in batches if necessary, until bottom edges are slightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

ITALIAN BAKERY COOKIES

Steps:

• Place oven racks in the top and bottom third positions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until light and smooth, 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 2-inch lines, spaced 1-inch apart (you should be able to fit 12 cookies per tray). Bake in the oven until the cookies are set on top and golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet trays. Once the cookies are set, transfer all onto one tray, leaving 1 cooled tray to bake the remaining dough (you'll have enough for about 12 more cookies).
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave on 50-percent power in 15 second increments. Pipe or spread the flat sides of half of the cookies with about 1 teaspoon jam each, going almost to the edges. Sandwich with the remaining cookies (you should have about 18 sandwiches). Allow the jam to set for 2 hours or overnight, if you have time. Otherwise, it's okay to go ahead and start dipping your sandwich cookies into the chocolate (it just might be a little slippery.).
• Dip the lower third of the cookies in the chocolate letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Sprinkle with the sprinkles on both sides. Lay back on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop the cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to let the chocolate set.
• Tip: To make uniformly sized cookies, use a ruler and a marker or pen to draw 2-inch lines on 2 sheets of parchment paper in a 3-by-4-inch grid. Flip the parchment over and place on 2 baking sheets so the marker side is down but you can still see the lines. Using the lines as a template, pipe the dough in 2-inch lines on the baking sheets, using a paring knife or shears, if needed, to cut the dough from the piping bag in straight edges.

ITALIAN SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until very fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue to beat very well for an additional 4 minutes, scraping down the sides at least once. Turn the mixer on low speed and add the flour and baking powder, and mix until just combined.
• Put the dough into a pastry bag or cookie press fitted with a star tip. On an ungreased cookie sheet, pipe cookies in 2-inch lines, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes (this will help them retain their shape when baking).
• Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Spread a little more than half a teaspoon of jam on half of the cookies, then top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Place in the freezer for another 5 minutes to help set while you prepare the chocolate.
• Toss together the chocolate and the oil and place in a microwave-safe mug. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Put the rainbow sprinkles onto a plate.
• Working quickly, dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate, then roll in the sprinkles. Place finished cookies on a tray lined with either wax or parchment paper to set completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 1 week.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Arrange 2 racks in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Make room in your refrigerator for 1 half-sheet pan. Grease 3 (13-by-9-inch) baking pans or quarter-sheet pans with cooking spray or a little oil, then line with parchment or wax paper. (This helps the paper stay in place.) Spray or oil the parchment.
• Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a standing mixer (or with a hand mixer), or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer, break up the almond paste using a fork or your fingers. Add butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract. Using the paddle attachment, beat on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Turn off the mixer, add a third of the flour and salt, then beat on medium-low until just combined. Repeat with another third, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and continue until all the flour is added and incorporated. Transfer batter to a large bowl. Rinse and dry the mixing bowl.
• Add egg whites to the mixing bowl and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, 30 to 45 seconds. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined.
• Remove one-third of the batter to one of the prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan all the way to the edges. (This can get a little tricky, but have patience and take your time. The oil on the pan should help hold the paper in place, but if you're having trouble, hold the paper in place with one hand while you spread with the other.) Remove another one-third of the batter to a medium bowl and add a couple drops of green food coloring. Stir until blended, and add more to reach your desired shade. Transfer green batter to a prepared pan and spread evenly. Add a couple drops of red food coloring to the remaining batter, stir to combine, add more as needed, then transfer to the last pan and spread evenly. Firmly tap each pan on the countertop to release air bubbles.
• Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the edges are barely browned, the tops are just set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately slide cakes from the pans onto racks using the parchment paper. Cool completely.
• Using the parchment paper, slide the green cake onto a half-sheet pan. In a small saucepan, heat preserves over medium until loose, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Spread half of the preserves over the green layer, going all the way to the edge. Carefully flip the uncolored layer on top (use a large offset spatula to help), and remove the parchment paper. Spread with the remaining preserves. Top with the red layer and remove the parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and place another rimmed baking sheet on top of the cookies. Transfer to the refrigerator, then top with heavy cans so the weight is evenly distributed. Refrigerate overnight.
• Melt half of the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate on the top and to the edges, then refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt the remaining chocolate. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on a cutting board, then place on top of the cake and invert the cake onto the board. Spread the bottom with the remaining chocolate. Let cool for a few minutes, then use the tines of a fork to draw waves in the chocolate and add sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate until almost firm, but still slightly soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If you wait until the chocolate is fully set, the chocolate will crack when you cut.)
• Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry, then trim the edges and save for snacking. Cut the cake into 1-inch squares, running the knife under hot water and drying between cuts. Return to the refrigerator to set completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container with wax paper between layers. Allow to come to room temperature a bit before serving.