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Little Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam
Some of the best cookies we’ve ever made!
I couldn’t be more proud of this new delicious recipe for Almond Tea Cakes. Developing recipes in my head is always a lot easier than making those dream recipes come true in my kitchen. However after a few variations, this recipe exceeds all my expectations by a mile!
These cookies are like a cross between Russian Tea Cakes, Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls, a Russian Tea Cake Cookie and a buttery jam filled shortbread thumbprint. This hybrid is truly one of the best cookie recipes to ever come out of the SRFD kitchen!
I adore these tender little buttery gems with loads of flavor from the almond extract and almond flour.
The combination of almond and blueberry is classic and so delicious. These tea cakes are an instant favorite and I’ve already thought of a dozen variations I can’t want to try.
The texture is wonderful with a little nuttiness from the almond flour.
I always keep a bag of almond flour on hand and store leftovers in the freezer. It keeps for up to a year when sealed in a ziploc container in the freezer. If you don’t have almond flour, grind blanched almonds into almond meal instead.
Ingredients overview
For the cookie dough:
- all-purpose flour
- almond flour or blanched almonds ground into a fine meal. You can also use other kinds of nuts like pecans.
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter
- vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- almond extract
For the filling:
- wild blueberry jam
- powdered sugar for dusting
You’ll also need 48 mini muffin paper baking cups.
Baking in small confectionary mini muffin baking cups prevents the dough from spreading which is a common challenge when making thumbprint cookies. These bake up beautifully and are easily removed from the paper wrapper. No sticking, I promise!
You may have noticed these shortbread style cookies do not include eggs in the dough. This is correct, no eggs.
This simple cookie dough is a breeze to make right in your food processor.
There’s no need to refrigerate the dough before rolling into balls, or before baking. Rolling the dough takes a little time, but the results are worth the effort.
Overview: how to make Almond Tea Cakes
1. Prep the pans and preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 24 mini muffin tin with baking cups. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then mini muffin cups spaced 2-inches apart.
2. Process the ingredients
In the bowl of a food processor pulse the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Add the butter, vanilla and almond extract. Pulse until the mixture becomes a soft dough. Transfer the dough to a large bowl.
3. Form into balls
Using a small cookie scoop to portion the dough, roll scoops of dough into tight balls. With the cookie dough ball cupped in one hand, make an indention with the pinky finger from the opposite hand into the center of the ball. Make the well half the depth of the dough ball, then place it in the baking cup with the hole facing up.
Continue until the mini-muffin tin is full. Fill each cookie with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of blueberry jam. The jam should completely fill the indention and be somewhat overfilled.
4. Bake the cookies
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not over bake! Cool for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Our best tips for making perfect Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam:
- If you don’t have a mini muffin baking tin you can bake the cookies in the paper cups placed directly on a cookie sheet. The cookies will spread just a little more and be wider on the top. However, this is not a problem and they still look very pretty and bake perfectly.
- While rolling the dough into balls, it may feel like the dough is breaking apart and crumbling. If so, use a little less pressure and roll again, applying more pressure as the ball becomes firm.
- If the dough ball splits or cracks when creating the pocket for the jam, re-roll the ball applying light pressure at first, then more pressure as the ball becomes firm.
- The cookies are crumbly when they first come out of the oven but firm up as they cool. While they’re delicious eaten warm, they hold together better when cooled.
- Use a small cookie scoop for the perfect size dough ball to fill the mini baking cups.
Change it up and use your favorite jam for these Tea Cakes.
I don’t recommend using jelly in these cookies due to the higher amounts of sugar when compared to most jams. Jelly may burn or get so hot it sinks to the bottom of the cookie.
Our favorite jam is made by Stonewall Kitchen. You can find their quality products in grocery stores, on their website or on Amazon. We use their Wild Maine Blueberry Jam for this recipe but strawberry would be great here, as well as peach.
Or, use a variety of flavors and pretty color variations. It’s all good!
Thanks for PINNING!
Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour (almond meal) or ground blanched almonds
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup wild blueberry jam, room temperature, stirred
- powdered sugar for dusting
- 48 mini muffin paper baking cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 24 mini muffin tin with baking cups. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with the mini muffins cups spaced 2-inches apart.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Add the butter, vanilla and almond extract. Pulse until the mixture becomes a soft dough.
- Using a small cookie scoop (flat - not heaping) roll balls of cookie dough into tight balls. With the cookie dough ball cupped in one hand, make an indentation with the pinky finger from the opposite hand into the center of the ball. Make the well half the depth of the dough ball, then place it in the baking cup, with the hole facing up. If the dough ball starts to crack or split, re-roll until it’s smooth, tight and pliable. Continue until the mini-muffin tin is full. Fill each cookie with a heaping ¼ teaspoon of blueberry jam. The jam should completely fill the indentation and be somewhat overfilled.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Do not over bake! Allow the cookies to rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Cookies will keep for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- If baking the cookies on a cookie sheet instead of in a mini-muffin tin, the cookies will spread just a little more, be wider on the top. This is not a problem and they still look very pretty and bake perfectly.
- While rolling the dough into balls it may feel like it’s breaking apart and crumbling. Use a little less pressure and roll again, applying more pressure as the ball becomes firm.
- If the dough ball splits or cracks when creating the pocket for the jam, re-roll the ball applying light pressure at first, then more as the ball becomes firm.
- The cookies will be crumbly when they first come out of the oven but firm up as they cool. While they’re delicious eaten warm, they hold together better when cooled.
- Substitute your favorite flavor of jam if desired.
Nutrition
We adore tea cake recipes and this is one of our favorites!
This recipe for tea cakes is easy to make and loved by all who try them. They’re perfect anytime, for any event, but also look wonderful on your Christmas dessert platter.
Make this recipe your own by changing up the jam for your favorite flavor.
Let us know what you think of our recipe!
Julie G
Hi Tricia!
I made these today (Christmas cookie #6 this year) and they came out perfectly…they look just like yours! So easy to make, truly.
I used a local farm’s raspberry seedless preserves. The raspberry and almond combo is one of my favorites. My husband had a hard time waiting for them to cool to do his customary taste test. He gave them 2 thumbs up.
I wore kitchen latex gloves when rolling them and had no issues with cracking. I used a small pastry bag when adding the preserves and that worked quite well also.
Onto cookie #7!
Be well, my friend 😘
Tricia Buice
Thanks Julie! I’m thrilled you enjoyed these cookies. These are truly one of my favorites. You’re way ahead of me this year. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Happy baking my friend!
sue
Splash out and find a jar of Montana Huckleberry Jelly or Jam. The flavor is 5x as intense as blueberries, with more floral notes. You’ll be glad you did! love the idea of using the mini muffin papers. Going to make some for Galentine’s gifts.
Tricia Buice
Sounds delicious Sue! Thanks for the suggestion. Enjoy!
Kathy
Excellent recipes
Tricia Buice
Thanks Kathy!
Linda Leone
These look so pretty. I love all things almond. Can’t wait to try.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Linda. I’m with you and adore all things almond. I think you’re going to LOVE these cookies. So fun, cute and uniquely delicious.
Joanne Schultz
Made these today and they taste wonderful. I had the same concern as I felt mine didn’t ‘puff’ up as much as I thought ,and then I noticed my baking powder was expired by about 10 months. Still, they are really good. The only mention I have is that it took my cookies another 3-4 min. to bake in a CONVECTION oven because no light browning on the edges showed up. 18 min. didn’t seem like enough.
Tricia Buice
Hi Joanne. Thanks for making these wonderful cookies and for taking the time to comment. We appreciate your feedback!
Susan
I just made these for my daughter’s wedding at the end of the month, and they are both beautiful and delicious! I know they’ll be a hit on our cookie table! Thank you for sharing this terrific recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Susan! I’m thrilled you made these and that you were happy with the results. Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding! What a fantastic celebration 🙂
Maria lazarou
Hi as am making all the cake’s for my son’s wedding do these freez well?.?? Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Maria. Yes they do freeze very well. Congratulations and best wishes to your son and bonus daughter! (Whenever I’m making something for a special occasion, I ALWATS test it out first to make sure I’ve got the recipe figured out and that it turns out the way I want.) Enjoy!
Murry
These are super delicious and an easy bake! Mine do not look like what is in the pics though. The picture shows a fluffy looking muffin like cookie. Mine were pretty dense and crumbly, no fluff. I did use almond flour and this could be why? Overall, super impressed. Not too sweet and the perfect treat with tea. Feels guilt free! Thanks for the recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Murry. Check your baking powder to make sure it’s still active. I always use almond flour so I don’t think that’s it. Enjoy!
Carol
Your Italian Tea Cakes have become a Christmas tradition in our house.
They have to be on the dessert table otherwise there is no Christmas!
I make extra batches for gift giving as well… they are quick and freeze
very well. I use a zip bag for piping in the jam, makes it easier to fill the
tiny holes and quicker too.
From Carol’s Kitchen 🎄☃️🎄
Tricia Buice
How sweet Carol! Thanks so much for the feedback. I’m truly thrilled you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Maria lazarou
Hi did you freeze with a jam .
Thanks
Tricia Buice
Yes you can freeze the cookies with the jam. Thanks for the great question Maria!
Tracie
These are the BEST cookies! They are a hit everywhere I take them! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Tracie! I’ve been so thrilled with these cookies. Perfect anytime, or any time of the year! Bravo 🙂
Claire
Would I be able to just use almond flour?
Tricia Buice
Hi Claire. I haven’t tried making these with all almond flour but would be fascinated to hear how it turns out for you. I think it’s worth a try! I would sift the almond flour first, and watch the measurements. Maybe cut the recipe in half on the first batch so you don’t waste a lot of ingredients if they don’t turn out. I think they’ll be great, just haven’t tried it. Good luck 🙂