Souvaroff cookies: when jam is your jam

I was in the mood for something jammy and buttery this past Sunday, so I found this recipe for souvaroffs in the gigantic copy of Je Sais Cuisiner Joel got me for Christmas (fortunately my copy is in English). They sounded perfectly simple and tasty. A souvaroff cookie is basically a shortbread and jam sandwich, dusted with sugar.

Until recently, I was not a huge fan of jam in my desserts. During my freshman year of high school, I made a Linzer torte for my German class for a party or something. It was by far the most complicated baking project I'd had to date. For one, it called for a springform pan, which I had never used, let alone knew what it was. The dough for the crust seemed especially crumbly and didn't want to roll out, so I just dumped all the crumbs in the pan and pressed them together. Like a miracle, it fused together after baking, even after I removed the form. It had a raspberry jam filling, and instead of a lattice top, I cut out stars from the leftover dough and arranged them on top. It was so grown-up looking. I made it in my friend's kitchen (another interesting challenge) before we headed out together for bible study. Another friend came to pick us up, and since I had all of my other school stuff to tote along, she offered to take the torte out to the car for me. I remember it was raining that night when it slipped out of her hands and I stood over that beautiful crust. Only now it was inverted and on the driveway, floating piece by piece down to the curb and into the storm drain, the jam oozing from underneath like streams of blood. But to be honest, I wasn't all that sad about the loss. And I knew my German teacher would understand. I felt worse for my friend who was almost in tears for what just happened. Fortunately, we were both able to laugh and create dramatic reenactments using that song about leaving a cake out in the rain, and never having that recipe, a-GAIN!! (In case you've never heard it: MacArthur Park.)

All this is to say that these days, I'm all for jam. I'd probably feel a bit more regret for a lost plate of thumbprint cookies than I would have 15 years ago. It probably has to do with being in my 30s or something. Aging taste buds?

Well anyway, if jam is your jam, give these a shot. If not, try peanut butter or chocolate and call them something different.

I sprinkled the sandwich tops with lemon rosebud sugar. It's fancy.

Souvaroff Cookies
adapted from I Know How to Cook
makes about 20 sandwich cookies (40 individual)

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. fine sugar (I put regular sugar in the food processor for a few seconds)
2 c. four, plus more for dusting
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. sea salt
raspberry preserves (or your favorite jammy filling)
sugar topping, like powdered sugar (though I used lemon rosebud sugar)

Crumb the butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt together. I started by using a mixer but ended up using my hands to form it into a soft dough. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-1/8 in. thick. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter (or other fun shape) and place on a parchment lined sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool, then sandwich together with the jam between. I ended up baking twenty cookies plain, and sprinkling the lemon rosebud sugar on the second set of 20 cookies before baking. Those ones were the top cookies of the sandwich. Otherwise, bake them all plain, make the sandwiches and dust with powdered sugar.