Star-Shaped Jam Cookies

You can be the star of the holiday party or baking exchange with these Jam Cookies. Classic jam thumbprint cookies are perfect for your holiday tray or for cookie exchanges.

A piece of cake sitting on top of a rack, with Cookie and Jam

Let the holiday baking commence! I love the taste of these Eggnog Cookies, and Eggnog Cupcakes. Who can resist these adorable Santa Hat Cupcakes, which will be a hit with adults and kids alike.

One day I made Soft Ginger Cookies along with these Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies. I also wanted another cookie, but with a different holiday taste. 

Why not try this classic looking cookie and impress everyone! The dough is cream cheese based, which makes it extra delicious.

It also takes little time to mix up, which is a God-send this time of year when you have so many things to do besides baking.

While you could make the cookies with just the dough {of course I had to have a pre-assembly taste}, the addition of the jam filling makes this cookie slightly tart. A perfect compliment.

They are called a jam cookies recipe after all!

Jam Cookies

Ingredients Required

You’ll need the following ingredients to make holiday jam cookies:

  • Cream Cheese, softened
  • butter, softened
  • 1white sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • 2all purpose flour
  • Raspberry Jam or Strawberry Jam
  • icing sugar, optional

How to make Jam Cookies

Pre heat the oven and in a large bowl, cream butter with cream cheese, then sugar and vanilla.

You can use an electric mixer on medium speed or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Then add in the flour and mix well. Wrap dough well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the cookie dough on a floured surface and roll out. Cut the dough out with a 2-inch star cookie cutter to make 72 stars. Re-roll if necessary.

Cut a smaller star shape out of the centre of half the shapes. Place 2 inches apart on an un-greased cookie sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool slightly in the baking tray, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Spoon a half of a teaspoon of jam onto the cookies that are whole. Sandwich together with cut out cookies. Dust with icing sugar.

Food on the cutting board, with Cookies and Jam

Do you fill thumbprint cookies before or after baking?

As you can see in the instructions, you’ll need two different sizes of star cookie cutters for this recipe, and then assemble in a stack after baking.

I couldn’t find my second sized star so I had to cut the middle portions free-hand with a paring knife.

Not ideal, because it took some extra time and a steady hand, but it did work well.

It’s also important to note that how how cookies this recipe takes, varies greatly on the size of stars you are using.

You do have two options when making jam thumbprint cookies – assemble as per the instructions OR layer the two cookies before baking instead of after, and then you just add the jam inside the smaller star of the cooled stack.

Either way, you do not cook the jam in the oven. Try both and see what works best for you!

Cookie and Jam

I totally forgot to dust this thumbprint cookie recipe with icing sugar before taking photos, but that last step makes a beautiful touch. Use your imagination! lol

These cookies scream ‘Christmas’ when it comes to taste, and are a fun option for the younger crowd but also so elegant too.

Thumbprint Jam Cookie Variations: You can use a variety of jam for this recipe. Make these with raspberry jam, strawberry jam, blackberry jam, or even apricot jam.

Use your own favorite jam or make this one recipe and fill jam thumbprints with an array of your best choice of jam!

You could also make this recipe with our Homemade Nutella instead of jam entirely. That would be delicious!

A close up of a plate of food and a cup of coffee, with Jam Cookies

It’s a perfect cookie that will please the masses for sure, as does our Christmas Sugar Cookies and these flavourful Peppermint Mocha Donuts!

Thing is, these classic thumbprint cookies weren’t the only treats I baked on this particular day for our own holiday cookie tray.

I actually made a few different holiday treats for an upcoming cookie exchange, which I hope to have up on the blog soon.

Yet I couldn’t help but notice one similarity between all my different recipes on this day – they all had cream cheese as an ingredient, which I think is a staple for the holidays.


Storage

Place in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days. Cookies with jam don’t need to be refrigerated if they have only a small amount of jam, such as these thumbprint cookies. They can be safely stored at room temperature.

A plate of food on a table, with Cookie and Jam

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and this time of the year, our easy holiday recipes are a saviour. Making our favorite cookie recipe as a treat after a long day sure make it worth it.

This classic cookie is the perfect holiday cookie recipe for your own holiday tray for for cookie exchanges.

What are you baking this holiday season?

A plate of food, with Cookies and Jam
Jam Cookies

Star-Shaped Jam Cookies

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 42 minutes
Total Time: 57 minutes

You can be the of the holiday party or baking exchange with these Star-Shaped Jam Cookies. They are so festive, fun and elegant to make as a holiday treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. (250 g) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup Kraft Pure Raspberry Jam
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350º F.
  2. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour; mix well. Cover. Refrigerate 30 min.
  3. Place dough on floured surface; roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out with 2-inch star cookie cutter to make 72 stars, rerolling dough scraps as necessary. Cut a smaller star shape out of the centre of half of the cut shapes. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 3 min. on baking sheets; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.
  4. Spoon 1/2 tsp. jam on the cookies that are whole. Sandwich together with cut out cookies. Dust with icing sugar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 12 servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 239Saturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 105mgCarbohydrates: 31gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Created by Tammi Roy

Tammi Roy is the founder of My Organized Chaos, a Canadian food and lifestyle blog. She lives in Alberta, Canada and is the mom of three beautiful teenage girls. Tammi’s passions are her family, creating and sharing delicious recipes, travelling and photography. Learn more about Tammi.

23 Comments

  1. love love love these! so festive and easy to do and make. I have my girls christmas coming up and this would make for a great dessert

  2. These are lovely! I went to a cookie exchange last week, and I wanted to make something like this, but I couldn’t find a recipe without almonds in it, like a traditional Linzer cookie. And I didn’t want to experiment right before the party.
    I guess I’ll just have to make more cookies.

  3. These cookies look so festive and delicious that I think many of us will try the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

  4. OoO these look so good. I think they are just perfect at Christmas time and might be the perfect thing for the class Christmas party.

  5. These remind me of my father. Mom made Jams Jams for him often. I like how yours are festive.

  6. The red jam with the star shape is so festive looking. Yours turned out so nice! I will have to give these a try this week

  7. These cookies look so light & airy! Love that there’s cream cheese in them (that’s my weakness!)

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