homemade 'newtons' - use your jam!

Homemade Newtons
(use any jam/preserves you want!)
I used my Homemade Apple Butter in some and some Amish "Frog Jam" with Figs in others. Do not over-fill or they tend to ooze out.  Please thicken your jams with cornstarch, tapioca or clear jel type thickeners before adding to cookie to ensure less 'ooze'
~Enjoy! Diane 

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
(you can use some whole wheat/spelt if you like)

Directions:
Make Cookie Base: 

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest in the bowl for 2-3 minutes on medium speed.... you may need to scrape down the bowl occasionally.

2. Add the egg white and vanilla and mix to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl.

3. Add flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

4. Remove dough and flatten to in a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight... If the dough is not firm you will have trouble rolling it, as it will stick and get too soft.

5. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet/s with parchment paper.

6. Remove dough from the refrigerator, cut into 4 equal parts. While working with one piece of dough, you will want to keep the rest refrigerated and cold.

7. Take one piece of dough and place it on a parchment paper
(you could use a floured surface, but I find the parchment paper allows you to roll the dough without too much sticking and it also helps in turning the logs over and onto the baking sheet).

8. Shape the dough in a rectangle....and roll the dough out to about 12 x 4 inches.(I like to keep the rectangle as even as possible by adjusting the rectangle shape with the back of my knife as I roll). 

9. Spoon a line of filling down the center of each strip. 

10. Fold 1/2 of the dough over the filling...you may use a wide knife/spatula...or use the parchment paper as an aid to lift the dough over the filling. You need to be gentle as the dough is quite buttery and soft.

11. Place each finished log (seam side down) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your parchment paper that you roll it on to help you transfer it. (If possible, keep it refrigerated, while working on the remaining logs....this way the butter in the dough doesn't melt). 

12. Do the same with the rest of the dough and filling.

13. When you finished making all the logs, use a serrated knife to slice each log into about 5 cookies...or however many you want. 

14. Bake 350 for 10-15 mins (watch the edges as the tops don't get overly browned) 

**Diane's Note: using different fillings? try adding different extracts and zests...if I were doing a blueberry or strawberry preserve fillings - I'd use lemon zest and a touch of almond or vanilla extract. Always remember to thicken your jam a bit so the filling doesn't ooze out of cookies! 

Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home
Recipe Cookie Base Adapted From: Home Cooking in Montana

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