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Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam

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Little Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam

A tray of Almond Tea Cake Cookies with a Wild Blueberry Jam center

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!

Almond Tea Cake Cookies with wild blueberry jam dusted with powdered sugar on a baking tray

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.

Almond Tea Cakes in mini paper cupcake liners with a wild blueberry jam center

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.

Almond Tea Cakes with wild blueberry jam dusted with powdered sugar

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.

A close-up of almond tea cakes with wild blueberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar in mini paper cupcake liners

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!

A platter of little Almond Tea Cake cookies filled with Wild Blueberry Jam

 

4.86 from 14 votes

Almond Tea Cakes with Wild Blueberry Jam

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: 48 cookies
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Tender little buttery gems with loads of flavor from the almond extract and almond flour.

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 information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

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!

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64 Comments

  3. Joanne Schultz says

    5 stars
    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.

    reply to this comment >

  4. Susan says

    5 stars
    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!

    reply to this comment >

  5. Murry says

    3 stars
    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!

    reply to this comment >

  6. Carol says

    5 stars
    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 🎄☃️🎄

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      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 🙂

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Erika – you can whisk all the dry ingredients together then add the butter, etc. Use an electric mixer to create the cookie dough. You don’t have to use a food processor, but it sure makes this a snap! Thanks and hope you enjoy these delicious cookies.

      reply to this comment >

  13. Theresa says

    Thanks Tricia. They look so good. I’m going to give it a try. I’ll make a small batch with almond flour and a small batch without. I have a family member with a severe nut allergy.
    I’ll let you know!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Theresa. I have not tested these cookies with all flour instead of using ground almonds or almond flour. The almond flour adds taste as well as moisture to the cookies. They have a nice nutty crunch as well. That being said, if you try these cookies without almond flour, I would test with a small batch first. Typically you can substitute regular flour and almond flour cup for cup. If that doesn’t work, perhaps you would like these Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies.

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Absolutely! You’re welcome to use plain vanilla extract anytime a recipe calls for vanilla bean paste. Thanks Natalie – I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do. So glad you’re going to give them a try. If you want to come back and leave a star rating and let us know how they turned out for you, that would be great!

      reply to this comment >

        • Tricia Buice says

          Hi Jean. These cookies are baked in a mini-muffin tin lined with mini-muffin paper liners. There’s a link just above the recipe that will take you to Amazon where you can see the mini muffin baking paper cups and get information to purchase. Just click on the photo of the paper cups. All you do is put the paper liners in the muffin tin, then add the ball of dough. If you don’t have a mini-muffin tin that will fit these little paper cups, you can simply place the cups on a rimmed baking sheet. They’ll bake just fine but be sure to have them separated enough so they’re not touching. Hope that helps. Please send me a message if this didn’t answer your question. Thanks! Hope you enjoy these wonderful cookies!

          reply to this comment >

  23. Mary says

    These look so cute. Can’t wait until I have a reason to make them.

    I was wondering if they could be piped or is the mix more dry than wet enough to put through a piping bag.

    Thanks Tricia for another lovely recipe. Yum! 🙂

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Mary – great question! This cookie dough is more on the dry side, not at all like cake batter so I don’t think it can be pipped. Rolling the dough into a tight ball is part of what makes them so pretty 🙂 I think you could pipe in the jam easily though! Thank you for following along. I hope you get to make these soon. They’re so unique and delicious – a must make 😉

      reply to this comment >

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