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These jam sandwich cookies are buttery, fruity and completely irresistible. With soft, orange-scented sugar cookies filled with a swirl of buttercream and sweet raspberry jam, they’re perfect for everything from holiday baking to afternoon tea. Each bite offers a delicious balance of tart jam, smooth frosting and tender cookie. Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or just for fun, these charming sandwich cookies are a standout treat that’s as fun to make as it is to eat.
Upgrade your baking with these delicious jam sandwich cookies. Cookies with preserves are a tempting upgrade on basic cookies with soft icing and jam.
Also indulge in Linzer cookies or Oreo choc chip cookies. If you’re planning brunch or an afternoon tea, apple butter thumbprint cookies are ideal.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: This is a straightforward cookie recipe to follow.
So tasty: With sweet raspberry jam, a gorgeous buttercream and the zesty tang of orange, these are sure to delight!
Picture perfect: Looking for a pretty cookie recipe for a party or special event? These are it!
Raspberry Jam and Buttercream Sandwich Cookie Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
All-purpose flour: The main ingredient in the cookie dough.
Baking powder: To achieve a perfect texture.
Granulated sugar: For sweetness.
Orange zest and juice: Adds a fruity flavor to the cookies and icing.
Vanilla extract: To add a complementary flavor to the cookies and icing.
Icing sugar: To sweeten the buttercream icing without graininess.
Raspberry jam: For the berry-licious filling!
How to Make Jam Filled Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the cookie dough: First mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and set to one side. Next cream the sugar and butter, then add the eggs and orange juice and zest. If you are looking for a zester, this one is my favorite. Add the flour mixture bit by bit, mixing well.
Chill the dough: Divide this dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour or more.
Cut out the cookies: Roll the dough out on a floured worktop. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookies and keep going until you’ve used all the dough. Cut a small hole in half of the cookie cut-outs.
Bake the cookies: Bake them all on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet until golden. Let them cool.
Add the filling: Cream the buttercream ingredients (except the jam) together then pipe the buttercream on to the bottom half of each cookie. Add jam on top and then add the cookie tops. Optionally, you can sprinkle icing sugar over the tops. Your cookies with filling are now ready to enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
Raspberry jam: You can use any brand of raspberry jam or even swap this ingredient for blackberry or strawberry jam, marmalade, or any other kind of jelly, jam or preserves.
Orange: Feel free to use lemon or lime juice and zest in place of the orange in these raspberry jam and buttercream sandwich cookies. Don’t be tempted to increase the amount of citrus though because it can easily overwhelm the vanilla and raspberry flavors.
Cookie shape: Part of the fun of making these icing and jam filled cookies is choosing what shape to make them. In the photos you’ll see I went for a cute flower shape. However, anything works so long as you can cut a round out of the cookies without getting too near the edges. So if you’re making these raspberry jam and buttercream sandwich cookies for a special occasion, maybe Easter or Christmas, you can pick something seasonal. Examples would include bunnies, eggs, Christmas trees, or bells. If not, just choose whatever shape you’re in the mood to make! There are certainly plenty to choose from online. You don’t have to make them all the same shape either, so feel free to play around with different sandwich cookie shapes and make a variety!
Serving Suggestions
With a drink: Pair your sandwich cookies with an iced lavender matcha latte or glass of strawberry lemonade.
For dessert: Enjoy them after a meal of anything from paccheri pasta to Crockpot chicken curry.
As a gift: Treat the one you love to some of these gorgeous cookies, perhaps in a Valentine’s Day treat box or for their birthday.
How to Store Jam Sandwich Cookies
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months (without the fillings though).
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Top Tips
Rolling them out: I find that making the cookies about 1/8-inch thick works best. Any thinner and they’ll be too fragile, and any thicker and they might not cook in the middle.
Use a piping bag: You’ll get a tidier result if you pipe in the filling instead of just spooning it in.
Check for doneness: Once the cookies are golden brown on the edges, they’re ready to come out of the oven.
Icing and Jam Filled Cookies FAQs
The cookies actually freeze pretty well. However, if you add the buttercream and jam, they won’t thaw out without becoming soggy, so it’s best to freeze them unfilled.
Sandwich cookies, known as sandwich biscuits in some places including Australia and the UK, are made by sandwiching two cookies together with filling in between. Filling options include buttercream (such as in this recipe), cream, ganache, lemon curd, ice cream, or peanut butter.
Don’t omit chilling the raspberry jam and buttercream sandwich cookies dough in the refrigerator. The point of doing this is so the dough doesn’t spread out too much on the baking tray. If you don’t chill the dough for these cookies with preserves, the cookies are going to spread out on the baking sheet and then their shapes will distort. So it’s best to chill the dough for a minimum of one hour. Chill if overnight if you want to start your orange sugar cookies a day in advance.
Raspberry Jam and Buttercream Sandwich Cookies Recipes
Jam Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- Citrus Zester or Microplane
- Gingerbread Man Cookie Cutter Flower Shaped
- ^^^ NOT GINGERBREAD MAN
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 3 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 orange zest
- 1 orange juice
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Buttercream
- 1/2 Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 Cups icing sugar, add more if needed
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice, add more if needed
- 1/3 Cup raspberry jam
Instructions
- In medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, orange juice, orange zest and mix well. Gradually add flour and mix until well combined.
- Divide dough into two balls, wrap in Saran Wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or place parchment paper on two baking sheets.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter. Repeat until dough is used up.
- Take half of the cookies and cut out an additional hole directly in the center. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
- Move to cooling rack and let cookies cool completely before decorating.
- Make buttercream by creaming together all ingredients, minus jam, until smooth and desired consistency is reached.
- Put buttercream in a piping bag fitted with tip of choice. Take the bottom half of each cookie and pipe a circle of buttercream around edges. Place a teaspoon sized dollop of jam in the center. Sprinkle icing sugar on tops if liked. Repeat with all cookies.
Notes
Use a piping bag: You’ll get a tidier result if you pipe in the filling instead of just spooning it in.
Check for doneness: Once the cookies are golden brown on the edges, they’re ready to come out of the oven.
Nutrition
These jam sandwich cookies are sweet, buttery and full of vibrant flavor. The orange zest in the dough and frosting gives them a citrusy twist that pairs beautifully with tart raspberry jam. Whether you’re baking them for holidays, a party or a homemade gift, they look lovely and taste even better. This recipe is easy enough for beginners and fun for kids to help with. These cookies are a treat that never lasts long once served.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
These cookies look amazing and definitely a must make!
I could eat every one of these! Yum!