Italian Jam Cookies are made with tender sugar cookie dough rolled up with a fruity jam center and topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. These cookies are easy to customize using your favorite dried fruits, nuts and jams!
Why you'll love this recipe
Dried fruits and jams make it possible to enjoy fruity flavors any time of year. They also make it possible to add fruit to care package baking.
Though apples are wonderfully in season right now, these jam filled cookies are made with chewy bits of dried apple to make the cookies care package friendly.
The cherry in these cookies is in the form of jam. If you don't love cherries, just use another flavor of jam!
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the milk.
- Gradually, add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until a shiny dough forms.
- Divide the dough into fourths. Working with one fourth of the dough at a time, roll out the dough between two sheets of wax/parchment paper into 11” x 5” inch rectangle, ¼" thick.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of jam on the rolled out dough leaving a ½" border uncovered around 3 of the edges of the rectangle, and 1” border on one of the long sides. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the chopped apples over the jam, then sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples.
- Roll up the dough tightly, starting at the long side with jam close to the edge and rolling toward the long side with a 1” border of dough, to form a log shape. Pinch the ends of the log to seal. Place the log, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Repeat with the remaining fourths of dough, placing the dough logs about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar on top of the dough logs.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Move the dough rolls to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into ½" thick slices.
Storage
Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing for up to 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Place cookies in a single layer or with wax paper between layers.
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Tips
This is a versatile recipe with a lot of possibilities for customizing the filling. It’s even possible to make each of the dough logs with a different filling!
- Vary the flavors of jam. Strawberry, apricot, and raspberry jam are other delicious choices.
- Try different types of dried fruit, but always dice finely to allow the dough to be sliced without falling apart.
- Fresh chopped apple can be used, but is not recommended for care packages. The shelf life will be shorter due to the extra moisture in fresh fruit (about 2-3 days).
- Add nuts and/or chocolate chips, or other flavors of baking chips.
- These delicious cookies make an impressive gift that looks and tastes like it came from an Italian bakery!
More cake and cookie recipes with fruit flavors
Bob Evans Cherry Bread is a moist sweet bread full of glistening maraschino cherries. This copycat recipe is ideal for brunches and for dessert.
Apple Oatmeal Cookies are soft chewy cookies full of sweet dried fruit.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Bars are a super quick and easy recipe that are great for party platters as well as care packages and cookie jars.
Jam Butter Cookies will melt in your mouth! These pretty little cut out cookies are colorful and full of fruit flavor.
These Raisin Biscuits, sometimes known as Garibaldi Biscuits, are a nostalgic favorite for the many people who grew up with these lightly sweet, flat cookies that are so good with a cup of tea.
This Hamantaschen recipe makes soft, cake-like Purim cookies with delicious jam fillings.
This Raspberry Rugelach recipe makes cookies with a buttery, crisp, pastry dough rolled up around delicious raspberry jam.
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Italian Jam Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
Filling
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ cup jam
- ½ cup dried apple finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the milk.
- Gradually, add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until the dough is shiny.
- Divide the dough into fourths.
- Working with one fourth of the dough at a time, roll out the dough between two sheets of wax/parchment paper into a ¼" thick rectangle, about 11” x 5”.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of jam on the rolled out dough leaving a ½" border uncovered around 3 of the edges of the rectangle, and 1” border on one of the long sides.
- Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the chopped apples over the jam, then sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples.
- Roll up the dough tightly, starting at the long side with jam close to the edge and rolling toward the long side with a 1” border of dough, to form a log shape. Pinch the ends of the log to seal.
- Place the log, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining fourths of dough, placing the dough logs about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar on top of the dough logs.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, cut each roll into ½" thick slices.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing for up to 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature with wax paper between layers.
Notes
- Vary the flavors of jam
- Try different types of dried fruit, but always dice finely to allow the dough to be sliced without falling apart.
- Fresh chopped apple can be used, but is not recommended for care packages. The shelf life will be shorter due to the extra moisture in fresh fruit (about 2-3 days).
- Add nuts and/or baking chips (chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, peanut butter).
- Stack in a pile of 4-6 cookies and wrap securely in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped bundles in columns in a freezer weight zip lock bag or plastic storage container.
- Due to the moisture from the jam centers, these cookies get softer over time and more fragile. Be sure the wrapped cookies are well cushioned in the shipping box and that there is no movement within the box.
Nutrition
First Published: September 26, 2018. Last Updated: July 4, 2022. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.
Annamaria
Something is wrong with this recipe. I’ve always been very good at following recipes but this one didn’t work after two attempts. This first one I thought I made some mistakes. My milk was too cold and I lost part of one of the eggs. All got was a greasy mess when I tried to roll it. The second time, the ingredients were exact and everything mixed well. Same thing happened again when I tried to roll it. This recipe calls for too much shortening. I made it once before but I didn’t have shortening so I used 1 cup of oil. They came out perfectly. You need to tweak this recipe. Sorry.
Wendy Sondov
I'm sorry you had trouble with the recipe. As mentioned in the post and in the recipe, the dough will appear shiny (oily), but it should still roll up just fine. The images of my cookies used this exact recipe and weren't oily at all once baked. As shortening is just hydrogenated oil, I am glad you were able to enjoy the cookies made with oil. I don't know why your shortening cookies didn't work, however, my first thing to wonder about would be is the shortening and sugar were creamed for a full 3 minutes.
Eileen
Hi I don't feed my family vegetable shorting, have you tried using something else? Butter maybe?
Wendy Sondov
Butter will not work in this recipe. Vegetable shortening is just hydrogenated vegetable oil. You could try other forms of vegetable oil, such as margarine, but I have not tried it and can't predict the results.
Miz Helen
These look like a very special cookie with that filling! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday, we have really enjoyed it. Hope you have a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
The Monday Box
Thanks, Miz Helen! These turned out looking fancy but are simple to make! I love that you can change the filling to suit your mood! Thanks, as always for your kind comments and for hosting Full Plate Thursday!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
I just bought a bunch of apples - some really tasty ideas here. And these cookies!! Oh just yum! I'd be honored if you shared this at our What's for Dinner party.
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-169/
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
So glad you joined the party! Hope to see you next week too!
Joansy
These cookies look fabulous, and I can't wait to try them! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and the story! I am subscribing to your blog, I could spend many hours here!
The Monday Box
Hi, Joansy! Thank you so much for your very kind words! Thanks for subscribing! I hope you WILL spend many hours here. 🙂 These really did turn out to be such a tender and delicious cookie. Just the thing to enjoy with a cup of tea (or coffee) !
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
These look almost too good to be true! Thanks for showing on Friday Frenzy!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Colleen! I plan to try these with a variety of jams and fruit combos. Cranberry for Thanksgiving, perhaps?
Carlee
How sweet that she greeted you with treats from Michigan and doubly sweet that you made treats to send back to Chicago. Also I love that you supplied the love and Imperial supplied the sweet. You are just too darling and I am smitten with everything about this!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Carlee! I was really touched by the special Michigan gift. So thoughtful and welcoming! Thanks for your kind words. I fully believe that food cooked/baked with love tastes better. That's why we all reminisce about things our grandmothers made. Love makes a difference. 🙂