Jam Filled Butter Cookies made with Egg Yolks

 

The holiday season is among us, and what better to celebrate then to make lots of delicious and not diet friendly treats!  I've been doing a lot of holiday baking lately, and while making french macarons (recipe that I will post later), there's always the problem with leftover egg yolks.  What do I do with them?  I had the option of turning them into creme brulee but I wanted something where I could make lots of them and that everyone could enjoy without feeling too much guilt.  

What did I come up with?  

Jam filled butter cookies made with egg yolks.

They were bite size, easy to make, keeps well for up to one week, a great way to use up leftover jam in the fridge, and accomplished my main goal, which was not to let egg yolks go to waste.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Makes 88 bite-sized cookies

approx prep time: 30 min

approx cook time: 10 mins (per batch)

 INGREDIENTS:

- 1.5 cups of softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar

- 4 large egg yolks

- 2.5 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of fruit jam with the large pieces of fruit mashed into small bits.

HOW TO MAKE IT:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, and white sugar.

- Add in egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract and mix together. 

- Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. 

- Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes until dough is firm enough to work with. 

- Roll dough into 1 inch balls.   

- Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

- Use your finger (I prefer the index finger knuckle) or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie. 

- Spoon fruit preserve into a ziplock bag (I prefer a medium sized ziplock freezer bag as it is thicker and easier to handle).  Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.

- Pipe or Fill the hole with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

- Store in room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.