Lilly Cookies

Lilly cookies (sometimes spelled “Lily") are a delicate folded pastry built on the simplest cream cheese dough imaginable: three ingredients, no sugar, no eggs, no leavening. The flavor and sweetness all come from the jam filling and the way the dough crisps and slightly browns in the oven.

The dough technique borrows from rugelach and other Eastern European cream cheese pastries. A full eight ounces of butter and four ounces of cream cheese get creamed together with two cups of flour. The result is a high-fat, slightly tangy dough that bakes into a tender, flaky shell with no need for added sweetness.

The “cut with a glass” instruction is vintage shorthand for cutting rounds the size of a drinking glass (about 3 inches across). A dab of jam in the center, then the sides folded over to meet at the top creates the cone or lily-petal shape that gives these cookies their name. The fold doesn’t need to be perfectly sealed; some jam visible from the top is part of the look.

Apricot, grape, strawberry, and raspberry are the traditional fillings, but anything thick enough to hold its shape works. Avoid loose jellies that will run out of the cookie during baking; thick preserves with chunks of fruit are ideal.

Pro Tips

• Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. The high butter content makes the dough sticky at room temperature; cold dough rolls cleanly without sticking.
• Use a small dab of jam (about a teaspoon). Overfilled cookies leak jam during baking and the filling burns into the pan.
• Brush the cookies with a beaten egg or milk before baking for a glossier, more golden finish.
• Cool slightly on the sheet before moving. Hot lily cookies are fragile from the high butter content; a few minutes of rest sets the structure.

Variations

• Sprinkle each unbaked cookie with a pinch of cinnamon-sugar for a sweeter, more dessert-leaning finish.
• Fill with a teaspoon of Nutella, dulce de leche, or thick chocolate ganache for a decadent twist.
• Dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar for the classic European pastry presentation.