Raspberry filled sugar cookies! The softest, most melt in your mouth cookie that you’ve ever tasted. These raspberry filled cookies are perfect for any time of year!

Please note this post was originally published in February 2017. I have made minor tweaks to the text of the post but the recipe remains the same.

Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is like cilantro. You either LOVE it or HATE it. Personally, I have always loved it – both cilantro and V-Day that is. I think it’s so nice that on this one day of the year, we are obligated to think about love. You don’t have to buy fancy gifts or buy an overpriced bouquet of flowers (although I wouldn’t say no to either of those things), but you have an opportunity to do something nice for that special person in your life. That special person could be a spouse, friend, parent or gal-pal. Take some time to say I Love You!

Growing up, my parents would make us cards, surprise us with little treats and make a special breakfast. I remember my Mom making pink, heart shaped pancakes for us. Hmmm…that gives me an idea for next year…!

Today I have a lot of love to celebrate; my husband, and my 2 beautiful boys are my whole world. Wally may not understand the concept of Valentine’s Day yet (although I’m fairly certain he’d appreciate a pink pancake or two) but I want to show my little family how much I love them. My favorite way for me to do that is by baking!

How do you make raspberry filled sugar cookies?

To make the cookies, you’ll blend butter, sugar and egg together until creamy and smooth, and then add in your dry ingredients to form a soft dough. The dough will need to be chilled for about 30 minutes; I split my dough in two and then wrap each ball in saran wrap to place in the fridge.

Working with the first ball, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/4″ thick. Cut out your desired shapes and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking pad. I’ve used an extra large heart shaped cookie cutter, as the cookies I remember buying were fairly big. You could make the cookies smaller, but be sure to reduce the amount of jam on the inside or it will spill out the side when you try to sandwich the two layers together.

What kind of jam do you use for raspberry filled cookies?

I use my favorite organic jam from Superstore but you can definitely use any raspberry jam, even homemade. Just make sure it’s thick enough to stay in a small dollop in the center of the cookie!

Add 1 teaspoon of jam to the center of each cookie. Roll out your second ball of dough and carefully place another cookie on top of the first, lining them up as best as possible. I like to use a fork or a smaller cookie cutter to seal the sides together, and it makes for a pretty edge!

How long do you bake the cookies for?

Bake the cookies for around 8 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and icing them.

Prepare the icing for the cookies by melting 1 tbsp of butter in a large mixing bowl, and then combining it with powdered sugar, vanilla, and a couple tablespoons of milk. You want the consistency of the icing to be smooth, but not too runny. It should run slowly off your spoon when you lift it out of the bowl.

Ice the center of each cookie with about a tablespoon of icing.

Do cookies with jam need to be refrigerated?

The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about a week at room temperature. There is no need to refrigerate, but they will keep longer in the fridge, about 2 weeks. You can also freeze these cookies for up to 2 months.

These raspberry filled sugar cookies are my own take on a favorite cookie from a café near one of my old workplaces. My colleague and I would buy these cookies on a regular basis (miss you Nancy!) and they never failed to make a bad day better. The cookie itself is just what you’d expect from a sugar cookie – soft, buttery and sweet. The raspberry filling inside is a nice surprise and adds the perfect amount of tartness to the sweet cookie. These cookies wouldn’t be the same without the icing on the top; it makes it a little more gooey and adds another dimension of flavor and texture.

Raspberry filled sugar cookies are the perfect way to say I love you, whether it is to your partner, children, friends or maybe that special someone who doesn’t know they’re “special” yet.

You’ve got to know I have all sorts of other cookies up my sleeve! These are some of my favorites: