Cookie Butter Jammers

Jammers - made dough December 5, 2019, modified from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

I'm going to move this up in the blogging roster so I can get it up in time for anyone who wants an amazingly excellent cookie to bring to a holiday party or a cookie swap. Unfortunately, these are a bit fragile to ship so you're just going to have to eat them yourself. Uh, bummer?

You start with a butter cookie crust. Don't be intimidated by the fancy name of French sables. It just means cookie. I gotchu. In layman's terms, this is a butter cookie with a cookie butter center and a streusel topping along the edges. Or, if you want really plain speaking, a damn good cookie.

This genius was the brainchild of Dorie Greenspan. I took some liberties with her rendition but only to suit my flavor preferences and didn't compromise the integrity of her brilliance. She called these jammers because the center filling was supposed to be some kind of jam. I don't like jam so cookie butter or hazelnut spread are my fillings of choice. Hence Cookie Butter "Jammers".

I also made these smaller than her suggestion of 2" round cookies baked in regular-size muffin tins. I went with mini muffin tins for smaller cookies. I'm a believer in small cookies for holiday parties and cookie swaps. You can fit more cookies in your waistline cookie plate and sample more varieties when the offerings are small.

You make the dough, roll it out, chill it, cut into small rounds, place each round in a mini muffin cavity, put a dollop of cookie butter filling in the center then sprinkle the streusel filling around the edge of the cookie, leaving the cookie butter filling uncovered. If I'd been working with larger cookies, my streusel sprinkling might've been a bit neater to avoid covering the filling with random sprinkles but at least that doesn't detract from the taste.

These were delicious. The butter cookie bottom is light and airy and the streusel gives the cookies both a bit of a crunch and some sweetness. But not overly so. These are also a bit different than the norm so I think they're perfect for a cookie swap or party. Just be warned: it's unlikely you can only eat one. Ask me how I know.

French Vanilla Sables
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour

Streusel
3/4 cup (102 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons (2 3/4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie butter, hazelnut spread or - if you really want - the jam of your choice for the filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar and salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
2. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
3. Turn off the mixer, add the flour all at once and pulse the mixer until risk of flying flour has passed. Beat on low speed just until combined. Turn the dough onto a work surface and divide in half. Gather each piece into a ball and shape into a disk.
4. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick between pieces of parchment paper. Slide the parchment-sandwiched dough onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour or refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. Make the streusel: whisk the flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt together. Drop in the cubes of cold butter and toss all the ingredients together with your fingers until the butter is coated.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on medium-low speed until the ingredients form moist, clumpy crumbs. Squeeze the streusel and it will hold together. Sprinkle over the vanilla and mix until blended.Pack the streusel into a container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (preferably 3 hours) before using.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a regular muffin tin. Have 2-inch diameter round cookie cutter.
8. Cut cookie dough with cookie cutter and drop each piece into a muffin cavity.
9. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon cookie butter or nutella onto the center of each cookie. Spoon or sprinkle streusel around the edges of each cookie, leaving the center exposed.
10. Bake the cookies for 20-22 minutes, rotating the tins after 11 minutes, or until the streusel and the edges of the cookie are golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes before removing cookies from the muffin tins.