{recipe} Jam Nut Pinwheel Cookies

Every summer, my Dad spends his weekend scouring the countryside, climbing fences, fording ditches, and tackling brambles to collect as many blackberries, boysenberries, and raspberries as he can find. Then he makes copious amounts of sweet, sticky jam so we can enjoy the berries throughout the year. What better way to enjoy this homemade jam than rolled up and baked into a light and flaky sugar cookie?

Sometimes I make this recipe at Christmas, but it works in any season. You can use any kind of jam you like – or even marmalade – but I don’t recommend jelly. And you can use any kind of nuts, as long as they are chopped finely. My favorite combinations are raspberry-pecan and apricot-almond.

Recipe: Jam Pinwheel Cookies
makes 30-40 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup jam of your choice
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice

METHOD:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
• Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
• Form dough into a rough square shape on top of a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Cover with a 2nd piece of paper. Roll dough into a 12-inch square. Spread jam on dough evenly with a knife or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle evenly with nuts.
• Roll up as tightly as possible, pinching at the end to make a tight seal. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
• To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove dough log from fridge and take out of plastic. Slice with a sharp knife into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Place on baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks for cooling.