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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,ย 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. ย It keeps for up to a year when sealed in a ziploc container in the freezer. Ifย 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.ย
- 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 theyโre 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
- โ cup granulated sugar
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ยฝ teaspoon almond extract
- ยฝ cup wild blueberry jam, room temperature, stirred
- powdered sugar for dusting
- 48 mini muffin paper baking cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. 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 itโs smooth, tight and pliable. Continue until the mini-muffin tin is full. Fill each cookie with a heaping ยผ 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 itโs 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 theyโre 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!
SallyBR
Just made it, and they are delicious… I used store bought Boysenberry Jam… a fun bake!
thank you for the inspiration….
Tricia Buice
Thank you for trying the recipe Sally! So happy you enjoyed it. Boysenberry jam sounds perfect ๐
erika
what if you don’t have a food processor
Tricia Buice
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.
Sue Raup
I made these for a baby shower. Super easy to make, looked beautiful and they got rave reviews!! Excellent recipe!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you very much for the feedback Sue! I LOVE these cookies and so happy you did too.
Amy
Hi! Do these freeze well? Or does the jam break down/ bleed into the rest of the cookie. Planning for Christmas packages! Thank you!
Amy
Iโm so sorry I just saw the previous comment about freezing – so now I know you *can* and my question is do they look pretty? ๐
Tricia Buice
Yes – they stay pretty in the freezer! Flash freeze the cookies before stacking them in a container.
Tricia Buice
Hi Amy – these do freeze well and I have not had trouble with the jam bleeding into the cookie. I believe they will keep well for up to three months, but I have not had them in the freezer for that long myself! Good luck – I know you’ll love these cookies.
Theresa
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!
Tricia Buice
We would love to know how it turns out for you using all flour. I’m sure we have more readers that have family members with nut allergies. Thanks!
Theresa
Could I substitute more flour for the these almond flour?
Tricia Buice
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.
Natalie Stepancic
Hi Tricia. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
I don’t have vanilla bean paste. Can I substitute with simple vanilla?
Thanks!
Tricia Buice
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!
Jean
Hi Tricia I would love to make these almond tea cake .But I don’t quite understand how u say to form the dough to pi the muffin paper.
Tricia Buice
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!
Lauren
Tastes superb! And looks amazing – overall a sensational combination of flavour and style. ?
Tricia Buice
Thank you Lauren! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and let us know how these turned out for you. Outstanding!
Deb
Can these be frozen after baking?
Tricia Buice
Hi Deb. Yes you can freeze them in an airtight container. They may lose a little of the crispness around the edges but should be fine. Hope you enjoy! We LOVE these cookies ๐
Aggie
These look delicious! Can this dough be made in advance and refrigerated?
Tricia Buice
Hi Aggie. The dough comes together in a matter of minutes and is best rolled when room temperature. If you want to make ahead and refrigerate, be sure to leave out for 30 to 45 minutes before baking or the dough may be too stiff to get into a soft ball. Hope you give these cookies a try – they are so delicious!
Susan
So delectable and beautiful-looking, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Susan ๐
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I have a friend who is always having tea parties for her neighbors. I’m sharing your recipe with her, I know these will be perfect for her next party.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for sharing the recipe Karen! These are perfect for a tea party ๐
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
These are indeed perfection! So pretty and the almond and jam together must be such a lovely bite ๐
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jennifer ๐
Sonia
Como conseguir las resetas en espaรฑol
Tricia Buice
Hi Sonia – sorry I don’t speak Spanish. If you want to translate – just copy and paste into a translation app on your phone or computer. Good luck!
Natalie
YUM! These cakes are adorable! Perfect for brunch!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Natalie!
Larry
Were you a professional dessert maker at some point? You stuff always looks so perfect
Tricia Buice
Haha – nope! But I’ve been baking a long time Larry – sweetest comment ever!
Mary
These look so cute. Canโt 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! ๐
Tricia Buice
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 ๐ 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 ๐
angiesrecipes
These little gems are so gorgeous! You are an amazing baker, Tricia.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Angie – you’re the one that’s an amazing baker!
Pam
Woo hoo! Love these little gems, Tricia! They’re pretty and delicious too for sure. Blueberry rules!!!
Tricia Buice
Blueberry does rule Pam – thanks so much ๐
Liz
Pinning these marvelous tea cakes/cookies! I’d love to make them with all sorts of different jams! So pretty, delicious and versatile!!! xo
Tricia Buice
Thanks Liz!
sue | the view from great island
You’ve invented a cookie ~ you are an amazing baker Tricia, and I literally can’t wait to try these. What a cute Easter treat they’d be!
Tricia Buice
You are too kind Sue! I hope you get the chance to make these sometime and I bet you don’t want to share!
Chris Scheuer
You make some wonderful cookies, Tricia! If you say these are the BEST of the best, I definitely have to try them. They look amazing!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris – this is a keeper!