One of my absolute favorite desserts, that don’t last more than a day because they’re just so good, are pastry cookies filled with jam. Specifically, filled with apricot, strawberry, or raspberry preserve – just like how I grew up! 

These are so simple to make, with very few ingredients including cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla extract, flour, and jam. And they yield very chewy cookies that will literally melt into your mouth.

Very popular among European countries, these cookies were originally inspired from Czechia, otherwise known as the Czech Republic. From there they spread throughout Europe and eventually the world. They can be filled with a wide variety of flavors, whether from fruits, nuts, poppy seeds, or cheese. The way I grew up was with either apricot, strawberry, or raspberry preserve – but there are so many more you can try using this recipe. 

While I do include powdered sugar as a topping or garnish to the finished cookies, you do not need to include them if you are avoiding sugar in your diet. Trust me, they taste amazing already from the sweetness of the fruit preserve filling. 

Let me know in the comments below if you tried the recipe and if you have any variations you’d like to share! 🙂