Petit fours cookies, Greek jam-filled cookies
Classic petit four cookies that are filled with jam and dipped in dark chocolate. These buttery cookies are found in most Greek pastry shops and now you can make them at home with this easy to follow recipe.
Growing up in a Greek home, I learned pretty early on that there were differences between me and my non-Greek friends, especially when it came to food! While they were packing things like peanut butter cookies in their lunchbox, I was snacking on Amygdalota, Koulourakia and Paximadia. These were some of the cookies my Mama always had available and which could be found in any zaharoplastio (Greek bakery). Of course, the bakery cases held many more delicious treats, including gorgeous petit fours cookies filled with jam and dipped in chocolate.
Making your own petit fours may seem impossible, but trust me when I tell you that you can absolutely make this buttery, delicious cookie at home. These cookies are fun to make and beautiful to serve! Dipped in a Greek coffee or served along with some Greek Mountain tea they are the perfect Greek treat!
Why I love this recipe
I am so proud of this recipe! Honestly, it brings me such joy to be able to share with you a recipe for a classic Greek cookie that I love. They may look intimidating, but this recipe is really easy!
The cookies are delicious and their texture is perfect. I love how the piping causes there to be some crunchier bits to the cookies.
They are so beautiful and impressive. You family and friends will be surprised to know that you made these yourself!
I love that you can use different jams and fillings for these cookies. Actually, even within one batch, you can use different types of fillings.
Key ingredients
Eggs I use large eggs to make these cookies. Ideally they should be at room temperature.
Icing sugar I use icing sugar, also called powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar, to sweeten these cookies.
All purpose flour All purpose flour or plain, regular flour is perfect for making these cookies.
Butter To make these delicious buttery cookies I use unsalted butter. The best quality butter you can find is ideal. I measure it out and then melt it in the microwave.
Vanilla I like using vanilla powder in these petit fours cookies. My parents usually use vanilla powder in their baking so that is what I like to use. You can use vanilla extract instead however.
Baking powder To help these cookies rise I add baking powder to the flour. This helps to make the cookies light and slightly airy.
Salt I always add salt to my baked goods. A bit of salt helps to bring out all the other flavours.
Jam or jelly Any sweet jam or jelly will do in this recipe. I prefer to use strawberry or apricot jam, but anything you have will do. I would avoid however jam that has big chunks in it.
Chocolate You can either use dark chocolate chips or a dark chocolate bar that you chop up into pieces.
Vegetable oil I add a bit of mildly flavoured oil to my chocolate when I melt it. I find that this helps make the chocolate smooth and easy to dip into.
Ingredient substitutions
Instead of dark chocolate you can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate.
You can use any jam or jelly you like. You can also use a chocolate filling like a hazelnut chocolate spread if you prefer.
To keep these cookies dairy-free you can use a non-dairy butter and dairy-free chocolate.
How to make petit fours cookies
Preparation
It is always best to read through the entire recipe and do your mise-en-place, meaning measure out all your ingredients and have things ready to start baking!
A few key things you can do to prep for baking the petit fours:
- Bring your eggs to room temperature
- Sift your icing sugar to ensure that there are no lumps
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla powder
- Melt your butter
- Line your baking trays with parchment paper and assemble your piping bag with your star tip
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Instructions
Step 1
In the bowl of your stand mixer combine eggs with icing sugar and beat well for 3 – 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add in the melted butter and beat for another 1 – 2 minutes.
Step 3
With the mixer speed on low, add in the flour mixture one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.
Step 4
Transfer cookie batter to piping bag and shape your cookies onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Try to keep the cookies the same size; they should be about 2 – 3 inches long.
Step 5
Bake in middle rack of oven for 12 minutes or so, until the bottom is golden brown. Allow to cool completely on baking tray.
Step 6
Once cooled, add a bit of jam to bottom of one cookie and then add another cookie to the jam to create a cookie sandwich.
Step 7
Once all the cookie sandwiches are prepared, melt chocolate in the microwave and dip 1/3 of each cookie into the melted chocolate.
Step 8
Transfer to fridge for about an hour until chocolate sets.
Baking tips
Making petit fours cookies is not difficult per se, but there are certainly tips and tricks that can make the process easier, and more fail-proof. Follow this advice for successful baking!
Do not overfill your piping bag
You should not fill your piping bag more than 2/3 of the way. You need to have enough space to twist and hold the bag at the top so that you can successfully push the dough through the piping tip.
Choose the right tip
And by right tip I mean one with a large enough opening. It can be a star or an open-star, we like to use the large tip: 1C, which is a little over an inch at the opening.
Pipe all the cookies at the same time
Although you will likely not be able to bake all your cookies at once, you should pipe them all as soon as your cookie dough is ready. This is because the melted butter will solidify as the dough sits, making piping the cookies much harder.
Make your cookies the same size
In most recipes, when you bake cookies you should try to make them the same size so that they bake evenly. In this recipe it is even more important because you will also be making sandwiches with the cookies, so they really do need to be the same size.
Choose a jam without large chunks
Any fruit jam will be fine but be sure to use one that does not have large chunks of fruit. They layer of jam (or jelly) that you put between the two cookies needs to be thick enough so that the cookies stick (and so you taste the jam) but not so thick that it oozes out the sides. Large chunks of fruit can also interfere with the cookies sticking to one another evenly.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before moving them
Do not transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool after they are baked. Leave them right on the tray and once cooled, prepare your filling.
Place in fridge to set the chocolate
The chocolate actually serves three purposes in this recipes. It is pretty, it is delicious, and it adds as an extra element to help hold the two cookies together along with the jam filling. After the cookies are dipped in chocolate I like to put them in the refrigerator just until the chocolate is set. You can then keep them in the fridge, or store them at room temperature.
Related recipes
If you love these classic Greek cookies, I think you will also love these amazing cookies:
Melomakarona, Greek Christmas Honey Cookies
Chewy coconut cookies
White chocolate and cranberry cookies
Greek moustokouloura cookies (Grape must cookies with petimezi)
How to store
After the chocolate is set you can keep these cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also keep them longer in the refrigerator.
Serving size
This recipe makes about 48 – 50 individual cookies which you will then use to make 24 – 25 jam-filled petit fours.
Recipe
Petit fours cookies, Greek jam-filled cookies
Equipment
- 1 piping bag and star tip we like to use the large tip, 1C
- 2-3 baking trays
- 2-3 Parchment paper sheets
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, large
- 130 grams icing sugar
- 250 grams butter, unsalted, melted
- 1½ tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 400 grams all purpose flour
- 14 grams baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 grams jam or jelly
For the chocolate coating
- 350 grams dark chocolate
- 20 grams vegetable oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the eggs and the icing sugar. Sift the icing sugar before adding it to the bowl to ensure that you do not have any clumps. Beat on medium speed using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer for 3 – 5 minutes.2 eggs, large, 130 grams icing sugar
- Add in the melted butter and beat for another 1 – 2 minutes.250 grams butter, unsalted, melted
- Meanwhile, in another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. If you are using vanilla powder, mix it in as well. If you are using vanilla extract, add it in to the bowl of the stand mixer along with the melted butter.1½ tsp vanilla powder, 400 grams all purpose flour, 14 grams baking powder, ½ tsp salt
- With the mixer speed on low, add in the dry ingredients one heaping tablespoon at a time. Continue to mix until until the flour is completely incorporated, using a rubber spatula to incorporate any dough stuck to the side of the bowl into the batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a piping bag fitting with a large star tip. Do not overfill your piping bag (fill about 2/3 of the way full).
- Pipe the cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Each cookie should be approximately the same size. Allow an inch between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies in the middle rack of your oven for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely right on your baking tray.
- Once all your cookies are baked, and cooled, pair them up to make your cookie sandwiches. Spread a bit of jam on the bottom of one cookie and then place the second cookie bottom on top of the jam. Press together gently and set aside, placing them onto the parchment lined baking sheets they were baked on.100 grams jam or jelly
- Place the chocolate and the vegetable oil in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has completely melted (stir well after each 30 second interval).350 grams dark chocolate, 20 grams vegetable oil
- Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate so that approximately 1/3 of the cookies are coated in the chocolate. Return to the baking sheet. Place the cookies in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.
- Store the cookies in the refrigerator or at room temperature.