Angel Eyes | Engelsaugen
The quintessential Christmas cookie, similar to a thumbprint cookie, these soft butter cookies are shaped into balls, dimpled in the center, and baked with the jam already in them rather than with the jam added into the dimples after baking. The cookies are extra light and soft because they are made with powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar in the dough. The jam being baked with the cookie means that some of the moisture bakes out and it becomes an even more intense burst of flavor. They’re so simple and easy that they don’t need much of an introduction, but they are always a crowd-pleaser because who doesn’t love a butter cookie with a little dollop of your favorite jam?
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Makes18 cookies
Ingredients
- 150 grams (2/3 cup) butter, softened
- 100 grams (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) raspberry jam
- 50 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp ) powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Instructions:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks and both extracts. Use the paddle attachment to cream them together on low speed and then on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
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Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add in the all-purpose flour. Mix again until the flour is just combined. Press the dough together into a ball, place in a sheet of plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and place two racks in the oven so that they divide it into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
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Divide the dough into 25-gram (1-oz) portions and roll them into smooth balls. Space them evenly across both baking sheets. Use a round teaspoon scoop to press into the top of each ball of dough and create an indentation. Place the cookies back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
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Once chilled, take the cookies out of the refrigerator. Spoon slightly less than 1 teaspoon of jam into the indentation of each cookie.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, swap the baking sheets and rotate them 180 degrees. Bake for another 7 minutes. Once baked and just barely golden brown on the bottom edge, take the baking sheets out of the oven and place them on wire racks to cool. Optionally, dust the cookies with powdered sugar once they are cooled.
Note
It’s ok to fill the dimple completely with jam—just don’t overfill them or the jam will bubble up and run down the side. On the other hand, because the jam reduces slightly while baking, you don’t want to underfill it because you’ll be left with very little. (I’ve found that just under 1 teaspoon of jam is the perfect amount.)
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