My grandma’s jam-filled sour cream cookies are tender, flaky, and irresistible. So easy to make, perfect for Holidays or any time of the year. Five ingredients only!!
This is the recipe that reminds me of my childhood, spending weekends and summer school breaks in the country with my grandparents. My grandma was (she is still alive, but she doesn’t cook anymore, she lives in the home for elderly) a great cook I loved everything she cooked and especially what she baked. I have fond memories of her Sour cream jam-filled cookies and her doughnuts. Her doughnuts were ah-mazing! She doesn’t have a written recipe, she has always measured everything with the eye and by touch. And how much I tried I can’t recreate that special doughnut recipe. Oh, what would I give for just one bite of that doughnut !!!
She doesn’t have written recipe for this Sour cream jam-filled cookies either, but I called her the other days and asked how to make that cookie, and she said “one cup sour cream, one cup lard, and flour by touch! By touch?? WTH, how I’m gonna made it by touch. You’ll see, you are a good baker, the dough needs to be soft, but not sticky.”
Now we are going to bake these cookies. Although the recipe calls for lard (and I highly recommend using it, because it gives that fantastic flaky, melt-in-your-mouth texture), I made it with butter, because a lot of people doesn’t eat lard.
You will need sour cream (full fat, I always use the one with 20-25% of fat), really soft (not melted) butter (kind of soft as lard), flour, powdered sugar, and jam. She made it with homemade plum jam, and I always make it that ways, it’s a must, but you can use any kind of jam you like.
In a bowl mix sour cream, lard, or butter and flour until the dough come together. Flour the work surface and knead the dough until smooth. Continue flouring the surface until the dough is not sticky anymore. It should be soft but not sticky (if it is too sticky add more flour). Wrap in a plastic foil and put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Again, flour the work surface and roll the dough a few millimeters thick (less than 1/4 inch). Using a glass or larger round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. Fill every circle with about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon (depending on the size of your dough circle) of jam of your choice, fold the circle in half, and press edges with a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake around 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown, but the top of the cookie is still white. Don’t over bake it. Remove from the oven and while still hot roll in powdered sugar. Stored in a sealed container, the cookies will keep for several weeks (but I guarantee you, they would not last that long).
Tip: these are even better one or two days later. I baked mine on Saturday and photograph them on Monday. Don’t ask me how I manage not to eat the whole batch. As soon as I took photos, they were gone within an hour, literally!!!
Happy baking!
Mihaela

Grandma's Jam filled sour cream cookies
Ingredients
- 230 grams soft butter (1 cup) (not melted) or lard
- 240 grams sour cream (1 cup)
- 350-400 grams all-purpose flour around 3 cup-or more if needed
- pinch of salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
- for the filling jam of your choice I always use homemade plum jam
Instructions
- In a bowl using rubber spatula or wooden spoon mix sour cream, lard or butter, pinch of salt and flour until the dough comes together (you can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment if you own one).
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead the dough until smooth. Continue flouring the surface until the dough is not sticky anymore. It should be soft but not sticky (if it is too sticky add more flour). Wrap in a plastic foil and put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Again, flour the work surface and roll the dough a few millimeters thick (less than 1/4 inch).
- Using a glass or larger round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles.
- Fill every circle with about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon (depending on the size of your dough circle) of jam of your choice, fold the circle in half, and press edges with a fork.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake around 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown, but the top of the cookie is still white. Don't over bake it.
- Remove from the oven and while still hot roll in powdered sugar.
- Stored in a sealed container, the cookies will keep for several weeks (but I guarantee you, they would not last that long).
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