Orange Jam Swirl Cookies

plate with orange jam pinwheel cookies on a vintage white cloth.

5 from 7 votes

These swirl cookies are some of our favorite holiday cookies. Buttery dough swirled with flavorful orange jam; these treats are sure to please anyone!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: English

Servings:

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Electric mixer
2 cookie sheets

Ingredients

200 g unsalted butter softened, 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon
100 g granulated sugar 3.5 oz/ ½ cup
1 egg
2 oranges zest of both, and juice of one (55 ml/ 1.8 fl.oz/ ¼ cup), Note 2
250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons orange jam Note 3

Instructions

Cookie dough:

Oranges: Wash, dry, and zest the oranges, but juice only one of them.
Beat the soft butter and the sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, orange zest, and juice of 1 orange. Mix well.
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in another bowl. Fold them into the butter mixture.
Combine quickly to form a dough, don’t overmix it.
Refrigerate dough: Form a ball, flatten it a bit, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for about 2 hours or until firm enough to roll.

Fill and cut:

Flour the working surface and the rolling pin.
Roll half of the dough into a rectangle. Spread ½ of the jam evenly on the dough and roll it into a sausage. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Freeze cookie rolls: Wrap the rolls in plastic and place them in the freezer until about half frozen, my rolls needed about 1 ½ hour to reach a good cutting consistency.

Bake:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the rolls from the freezer. Press them back into a nice shape if they have flattened at the bottom side.
Cut cookies: Unwrap and cut them into slices using a sharp knife. You will have about 30 cookies.
Bake: Place the swirl cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.
Rest: Remove the trays from the oven but leave the cookies on the tray for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
Preferably organic, unwaxed oranges, as you will need their zest.
You can also use marmalade, which is slightly bitterer than orange jam. Or you can substitute the orange jam with another jam. However, in this case, the orange flavor will be less pronounced.
Store: The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. Freeze them in an airtight container between layers of wax paper for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter.

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