Grandma's Cookies

Submitted by internetnut

"I have not tried this recipe. I got it from The chef @ ww recipes.com. Our favorite cookies when my brother and I were little were little bite-size puffy jam filled "Grandma Cookies", which my father's mother made whenever we came over. They still are everyone's favorite and now called "Nana cookies", since my mom makes them for my kids (and everyone else). The recipe calls for (whatever flavors/colors you like) preserves or seedless jam."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 4
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 8 ounces salted butter (room temperature)
• 6 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
• strawberry preserves or apricot preserves

directions

1. Heat oven to 425f.
2. Mix with pastry blender (beware that I do this by hand as the more you work this dough, the tougher (less light and flaky) the final outcome) until evenly blended the butter and cream cheese; then blend in the flour a little at a time with the pastry blender or two knives until dough is uniform in color.
3. Separate into 2 balls; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or until firm enough to roll.
4. Roll out on floured pastry sheet or board to "pie crust" thickness one of the balls (keep the 2nd one in the refrigerator).
5. Using a 1" round cookie cutter (metal is best) cut out circles. Roll up the remaining dough and reroll and cut out circles until there is no more of the 1st ball left. Place all the circles of dough 1/4" apart on foil-covered cookie sheet.
6. In center of each circle, put about 1/4 teaspoons jam or preserves.
7. Roll out second ball of dough and cut out circles as in #4 above. Then take a clean floured thimble and cut out a tiny circle in the center of each. Reroll the discarded centers, etc. of the dough and cut out into circles, making half the "bottoms" and half the ones with the thimble hole, the "tops". Do the same with these new bottoms as in #5.
8. Place a cut out "top" on top of each of the circles with the jam or preserves, so the jam shows through the center of the top. Press down the edges of each cookie so the cookie is "sealed".
9. Bake in center of oven at 425f for about 10-12 minutes, until tops of puffed-up cookies are very slightly browned.
10. Cool cookies; dust lightly with powdered (10X) sugar and enjoy!
11. Note: Strawberry, apricot or seedless raspberry preserves look the prettiest and taste good; jellies tend to ooze and lose the pretty color because they melt faster. The preserves should not have "lumps" - take big fruit pieces out first. Preserves should take up all of the cut-out circle from the thimble in the top of the cookie but don't.
12. overfill or they will run over the top of the cookie and burn.