Ruby Jewel Cookies (William Sonoma)

I never thought that cookies can sparkle!!!

Now... Can you see that these cookies are gleaming?

Ruby jewel cookies (William Sonoma)

Now I know why these simple yet attractive jam cookies are named as ruby jewel cookies... These gleaming jam-filled petite golden-coloured cookies do remind me of rubies encased in rims of gold jewellery. 

Although these cookies look dainty and adorable in the book, William Sonoma Baking, I never know that they can sparkle so much until I have baked these with Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen wings. I really enjoyed baking and eating these pretty little cookies and hope that Joyce, Lena and maybe you? like baking this recipe with me.

Baking these cookies are really easy...

First you can either use a food processor or your finger tips to combine the cookie dough.

You can either shape the cookies into balls or roll and cut them with cookie cutters into any shapes that you like.

Then fill the cookies with jam.

I filled the cut-cookies with jam too.

After baking...

These jam cookies are so simple to bake and yummy to eat!

... and so pretty to admire too!

I noticed that the difference in the shaping technique used and baking time can produce cookies in different texture. Although both of these cookies are baked at 180°C for 18 mins, the thinner and uniformly cut cookies are more crispier than the round ones as the round ones tends to be a little cake-like in their center. Nevertheless, both are equally delicious!

Mum, you have to bake these for me again!

Ok, son! I will.

Here's the recipe from the book, William Sonoma Baking.
(with my modification in blue)

Makes about 5 dozen cookies
(1/2 = 40-60 cookies! Yield depends on the size of the cookies that you made.)
2 large egg yolks (1/2 = 1)
1 tsp vanilla extract (1/2 =1/2 tsp vanilla paste)
2 1/4 cups (360g) all-purpose flour (1/2 = 180g)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (1/2 = 75g caster sugar - this sweetness is just right for us.)
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (1/2 = 125g)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam or 1/3 cup other thick jam (used adequate homemade strawberry jam)
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional and I prefer not to do this!)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Have ready 2 ungreased baking sheets or miniature muffin pans and, if desired about 5 dozen miniature paper muffin liners. - I did this after the dough was chilled.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vanilla together, set aside.

In a food processor, combine the flour and granulated sugar. Process briefly to blend. With the machine running, add the butter 2-3 pieces at a time and process until the mixture looks crumbly. With the machine still running, add the egg yolk mixture and process until blended and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Instead of using food processor, I used my fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture to form a crumbly mixture. After adding the egg yolk mixture, I gathered the crumbs together to form a dough.

Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape or roll it into a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hr.

With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 3/4 inch (2 cm) balls. Place each ball in a paper liner, if using. Place the cookies 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the baking sheets or in the muffin pans.

Using the end of a wooden spoon handle dipped in flour to prevent sticking, make an indentation in the center of each cookie, but do not press all the way through the dough. Using a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp jam.

I have shaped the cookies using two methods: 1) the ball and mini muffin pan one as mentioned above 2) roll dough into 2.5 cm thick and used cookie cutters to cut the rolled dough into shapes accordingly. Fill jam in the middle of each cut cookie.

Bake the cookies until the edges are golden, 15-20 mins (Mine is 18 mins). Let the cookies cool completely in the pans on wire racks. If baking on sheets without paper liners, use a thin spatula to loose the cookies carefully while they are still warm. Transfer the cooled cookies to wire racks and dust with powdered sugar, if desired - I didn't do this because I didn't want to cover the sparkling part of my cookies with icing sugar! LOL!

Happy Baking
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