Jam Cookie Sticks + Video
You know. I just realized — I don’t post a whole lotta desserts containing jam on this blog. And! I’ve never posted any sort of jam bars on the blog before. Not once. So, these jam cookie sticks are a rarity here on this .com entity fo sho.
My point is, take notice. Cuz if I’m finally posting a jam cookie stick recipe, it’s most probably a special one. And. Turns out this is. A special one. Very. These tender jam bars are the real deal and I love them so much woah somebody take them away from me I’m suffocating them.
And you know what else I never made? A video tutorial, on how to make these jam cookie sticks. Here ya go:
Or, watch it on YouTube.
The truth is. I’ve never been a fan of jam or jelly or preserves. Not in my peanut butter sandwiches, not in my desserts, and certainly not in any of my savory foods.
But. As of late, I’ve developed a taste for jam in my desserts. Only the good-quality preserves though, like one of the agave blackberry or organic raspberry or something-else-pretentious variety.
What I never had to develop a taste for was the sugar cookie typa dough that usually surrounded jam cookies. Up until this year, the name of my game would be to eat around the jam in any jam cookie or bar I came across; I loved that tender, shortbread-y dough, and it was worth risking a smidgen of jam accidentally making its way onto my palate in doing so.
But. These days. I’m happy to eat both components — the cookie and the jam accompaniment. ESPECIALLY THESE JAM COOKE STICKS ERRRMAGASH THEY’RE AMAZING.
This sugar cookie dough is dairy-free and is made in one bowl and is so quick and hassle-free. It’s tender and rich and melt-in-your-mouth and crumbly and soft and a teeny bit crispy and the best.
It’s made with oil (nothing fancy, your choice of vegetable or canola), just a little bit of granulated sugar (cuz we want most of the sweetness coming from the preserves), a lot of vanilla, a dash of nutmeg, and the basics such as flour and baking powder and an egg and salt.
The tender dough comes together in minutes. And then you do something interesting.
You divide the dough in four. But make two of the pieces slightly larger than the remaining two. Because. You flatten out the two larger pieces into thinnish logs. And spread those logs generously with your favorite jam. And top that jam with the remaining smaller pieces of dough, in flattened clumps.
So, you got a tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie crust. A succulent, sweet jam filling. And a crumbly, slightly more crispy sugar cookie on top — especially if you add a sprinkling of sugar over the dough before baking, which I highly suggest. It’s a jam cookie stick sandwich!
It don’t gotta be perfect. The top will look clumpy and crackly. It will look perfectly imperfect and the jam will peek through the cracks in little pools and streams. See below.
Oh. Also.
It’s December. It’s holiday season. It’s cookie season. It is jam cookie stick season, essentially.
Make these jam cookie sticks for yourself, for your family, for your friends, for your fiends — you’ll be changing lives with a boxful of these.
Quick and easy. Soft and tender. Melt-in-your-mouth and crumbly. Crispy and rich. Dairy-free and hassle-free. Jam-filled and joy-filled.
Jam cookie sticks — you beguiling, addictive cookie things, you.
Jam Cookie Sticks
Yield: about 18 sticks
1 cup canola/vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups packed flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2-2/3 cup jam/preserves of choice
-Granulated sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Pour the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg over the wet ingredients and stir everything together until just combined.
4. Divide dough into 4 pieces, creating two pieces which are a bit larger than the remaining two. Spread one of the larger pieces into a flattish log on the baking sheet. Spread half the jam over it, concentrating more jam in the center so it doesn’t ooze out too much while baking. Top jam with flattened clumps of one of the smaller pieces of dough (doesn’t need to be perfectly covered). Repeat process with other two pieces of dough, spacing the logs out on baking sheet. Sprinkle logs with sugar if desired.
5. Bake logs for 22-28 minutes, until they’re golden brown all over. Let logs cool before slicing into sticks of desired width.
