Ginger Rum Orange Jam Cookies

I’m a believer that booze make desserts better. Whether it’s beer, wine, or spirits, there is just something about the richness and flavor they add to things like cookies and cakes. 

Around the holidays, my go-tos are bourbon and rum. For these cookies, I went with rum. Gold rum. Jamaican gold rum, to be exact. 

I had orange jam leftover and I thought the best way to put it to use would be pairing it up with some cookies. 

Now, these are big. They aren’t so much of graze around the holiday cookie tray cookies, but more like one equals a full dessert cookies. 

The rum is combined with some fresh ginger and cinnamon for spice. If you remember from my last post, the orange jam has a bit of cinnamon in it as well. 

I use a larger 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter and a smaller 2 inch to make these. Feel free to use different sizes or shapes to make your own. Stars would be fun if you have the cutters. 

Plan ahead a bit because the dough needs to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes and then I freeze the trays for 10 minutes before baking. 

These are such a great holiday treat. And if you don’t have orange jam, really any of your favorite flavors will do. 

What you’ll need:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon gold rum
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
About 1 cup orange jam

How to make them:

Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low and then raise to medium-high. Cream together until light in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Blend in the egg and then the rum. Next, add the ginger and cinnamon. 

With the mixer on low, add the flour a little at a time. Continue to mix until it is combined and a firm dough forms. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Form the dough into a large disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

Roll the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a 3 1/2 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut 12 cookies. Place the cookies on the baking sheet. (You might need to do two rounds if your sheet pan is small.) Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Gather the unused dough back into a disk and return it to the fridge.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the centers are firm and the edges begin to brown. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Roll the remaining dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut 12 more 3 1/2 inch cookies. Then use a 2-inch cookie cutter of the same shape to cut out the center of those 12 cookies, leaving a wreath shape. You may need to reincorporate the cut out centers and re-roll to get all 12. (You can bake any leftover centers separately for extra cookies.)

Freeze the baking sheet with the center-less cookies for 10 minutes. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until they begin to brown slightly just around the edges. Let the cookies cool 2 to 3 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. 

When the cookies are completely cool. Spread a generous 1 teaspoon of jam over the 12 solid base cookies. Place a center-less cookie on top of each base cookie. They will store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

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