These buttery little cookies are traditionally Christmas cookies - and I always make them in December - but who says cookies have to be confined to Christmas? If you insist on keeping your seasonal foods in order, just call this Christmas in July.
I remember my sister and I making these when we were quite young, with my mother supervising. We loved pressing our thumbs into the small, warm cookies to make a space for the jam. I always loved the ones rolled in nuts, but my sister, who used to tell strangers that she had a nut allergy (not true!) so they wouldn't serve her any, always made sure we left some plain. Either way, they are delicious both for cold winter nights and warm summer afternoons, maybe with a cup of tea or iced coffee.
I also like that these cookies aren't too sweet, so they show off the star ingredient, the jam (jelly, preserves, whatever you like to call it). Over the years, we've tried strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach, apple butter, cherry butter, and orange marmalade, and they've all turned out great, so I think it's safe to say that you can pick whichever fruit you like best.
