Ottolenghi’s Butter Cookies with Tayberry Jam Buttercream

This summer has been ‘jam’ packed with travel, fun, good food and family.  So much so that I actually baked these cookies weeks ago but only now have the time to share them with all of you.  Let me back up to the beginning of July and fill you in on some of my summer fun.  It all began with a trip to Orcas Island.  Many months ago J surprised me with a birthday gift of three nights on Orcas Island – just the two of us, for some mommy/daughter time.  I couldn’t have asked for a better gift.  Coincidentally, and to my surprise, Outstanding in the Field was hosting one of their amazing dinners while we were on the island – something I have wanted to experience for years.  (If you’re not familiar with Outstanding in the Field, check them out here.)  So we girls ate, talked, laughed, picked cherries, walked flower gardens, shopped, took in the views, and created some lasting memories.

After three wonderful days on Orcas, we headed back to the mainland.  When plans to visit a friend in Ana Cortes fell through, we made a quick decision to stop at a You Pick farm for some berry picking.  Best decision ever!  Definitely something on my summer to-do list.  We picked our hearts out and returned to Seattle with seven pounds of tayberries, and some raspberries too!
If only I could describe the amazing fragrance of tayberries.  Following a light sprinkling of sugar and a night’s rest on rimmed baking sheets, their juice filled the pans and the berries released a scent best compared to a full-bodied red wine.  Destined for jam, only six pounds actually made it to the pot because I single handedly ate what must have been a pound of berries all by myself.  The remainder made for a deeply flavored sweet/tart jam that we will savor over the coming year.
While still in Seattle, I was invited to a barbecue at the home of one of J’s friends.  I had just finished reading Ottolenghi’s ‘Sweet‘ cookbook.  (Yes, I actually ‘read’ my cookbooks.)  Although I basically ear-marked every recipe in the book, the one that most captured my attention was Ottolenghi and Goh’s Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing.  The barbecue invitation offered a timely opportunity to give their recipe a try.  I needed to stretch the number of cookies the recipe made to accommodate the number of guests invited, so I did a little riff on the recipe and made thumbprint cookies instead of sandwich cookies.  And, with no rhubarb on hand, I took the recipe one step further into my own interpretation and used some of our homemade tayberry jam in place of the rhubarb.  Wow!  Just WOW!!  The cookies garnered rave reviews and disappeared in minutes.  With a stockpile of tayberry jam in the pantry, I will most definitely be making these cookies again and again.
After our adventure to Orcas Island and another week in Seattle,  I returned home in time to enjoy a visit from my god-daughter and her precious seven month old baby girl.  I seriously considered baby-napping that little bundle but thought better of it in the end.  Just days later I hosted two of my nieces from Kentucky for a week filled with fun.  So yes,  July kept me busy, in many special and delicious ways.

August has been a quieter month thus far.  I am relaxing into the sunny warm days of summer, enjoying gardening, pickle making, eating al fresco and daylight that stretches well into the late evening.  Oh yeah, and I’m definitely going to be getting back to baking.

This cookie is based on a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s SWEET cookbook.  In the book, the recipe is called Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing.  The recipe can be found many places on the internet.  The changes I made are listed below. 
 

For the Cookie:

   I used cornstarch in place of the custard powder

   I used 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

   I formed the dough into approximately 1-inch balls and formed a depression in the middle of the cookie using my thumb

For the Buttercream:

   I used a mixer instead of a food processor

   I used 3 tablespoons Tayberry Jam* in place of the rhubarb

   I added a pinch of salt

   I did not chill the buttercream

*Note – If at all possible, make your own tayberry jam.  It’s not likely you will find it at a regular market, however, it is available online.