Dark Chocolate Blackberry Jam Cookies

I have made preserves all summer and I am still putting up jalapeno jelly from the pepper plants that are continuing to produce like crazy.

We can only eat so much jam and jelly and I can only give away so much as gifts this holiday season.

I want to use it up in baking!

I already have a great jam cake, jam muffin, and jam bar recipes.

What I needed was a good cookie recipe.

I found a great one at Joy the Baker for Cherry Jam Cookies.

One thing I did not have was cherry jam (which Joy used), but I did have lots of blackberry jam on hand.   (I used freezer jam for this recipe.)

Dark Chocolate Chip Blackberry Jam Cookies
Slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

2 c. all-purpose flour (I used a fine whole-wheat flour.)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1 stick butter, at room temperature
2/3 c. white sugar
1 farm fresh egg
2 T. 2% milk
1/2 t. almond extract
1/4 cup of blackberry preserves (I used freezer jam.)
1 pkg. dark chocolate chips

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.   Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt.

Working with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat for a minute. Add the egg and beat for 2 minutes more. The mixture will be satiny. Add the milk and almond extract and beat just to combine. (Don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled, it will even out shortly.)

Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the jam and beat for 1 minute more. With the mixer still on low add the dry ingredients and mix only until they are incorporated. You’ll have a very thick dough.   Mix in chocolate chips until just incorporated.

Use a cookie scoop and scoop out dough.    Lightly flatten each cookie.  (Joy rolled her dough balls in sugar and I wish I would have done this.)

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.   The cookies will be only just firm, fairly pale and browned around the edges. Pull the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, the carefully transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

As previously stated in the recipe, I definitely would roll these in sanding sugar, especially for holiday cookies.     And, these would have been a prettier pinkish color if I had not used the whole wheat flour.

I decided to try this same recipe again without the whole wheat flour to see if I could get a prettier cookie.    I used the same recipe above but used white flour and white chocolate chips.   I also grabbed some Blackberry-Lime Freezer Jam.   I know that combo sounds weird, but these Blackberry-Lime-White Chocolate Chip Cookies were pretty darn tasty!

They were also much prettier.

I also rolled the dough-balls in sugar before baking.

 

Have a great week!!