Jam-Filled Italian Butter Cookies (Chocolate Dipped)

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Last Updated on February 18, 2026 by Kiersten James

Bakery-style Italian butter cookies sandwiched with raspberry jam, flavored with almond extract, and finished with chocolate-dipped ends and sprinkles.

These are Italian butter cookies, the way bakeries actually make them – piped thick, sandwiched with jam, and finished with heavy-handed chocolate and sprinkles.

They’re soft but structured, rich without being heavy, and meant to stay pale and tender, not crunchy or dry.

The almond extract is non-negotiable. It’s what keeps them from tasting like generic butter cookies and gives them that real Italian bakery flavor.

Sample Party Baking Timeline:

I’m putting this right at the top, front and center, because like Italian rainbow cookies, sandwich butter cookies require a time commitment to make.

If you are planning a party, you can bake all the cookies the night before and dip/fill them the next day in an assembly-line fashion with help from the family. Here is how I do it:

1 day before:

Morning:

• Clear space in the freezer to accommodate several baking sheets.
• Make the dough and pipe cookies onto baking sheets.
• Freeze baking sheets until later.

Afternoon:

• Bake all of the cookies, one sheet at a time. Leave unbaked cookie sheets in the freezer until they are ready to go in the oven.
• Allow cookies to fully cool, then store in a large plastic tupperware overnight.

Day of the Party:

Morning: (enlist the kids to help with this if they are old enough)

• Set up your station – a large prep board lined with wax paper (or your table), a trivet for the pot, and a bowl of sprinkles.
• Dip the rounded edge of each cookie in chocolate, roll in sprinkles, then place on the wax paper to fully dry. Leave the cookies where they are until you have time to sandwich them.
• Spread 1/2 teaspoon of jam on the flat side of one cookie, match it up with another cookie the same size, and gently press together until some jam spills out of the side. Set on a serving platter.

The steps are broken up into small time blocks and don’t require long periods of hands-on work. Don’t be intimidated, it is well worth the effort!

Why You’ll Love These Italian Butter Cookies

• These are real Italian bakery cookies, not homemade shortcuts
• The dough pipes cleanly and holds its ridges
• Raspberry jam adds contrast without making them soggy
• Chocolate-dipped ends make them look as impressive as they are
• Perfect for holidays, cookie trays, and gifting

Ingredients:

Italian butter cookies are all about balance. They need enough fat to stay tender, enough structure to pipe cleanly without clogging the tip, and the right flavor to taste like a bakery cookie – not a sugar cookie.

Unsalted butter: provides richness and soft texture.

Sugar: sweetens lightly without overpowering.

Eggs: give structure and stability.

Flour: keeps the cookies firm enough to sandwich and dip.

Almond extract: absolutely essential. This is what makes them taste like Italian bakery cookies.

Raspberry jam: adds brightness and contrast. Swap for apricot if you prefer.

Chocolate and sprinkles: classic finishing pieces.

Tips for Best Results

You need an open star pastry tip

This is a very thick dough. Anything smaller than a large open star pastry tip won’t allow the dough to press through. Also, be sure to use a sturdy piping bag; weak bags won’t survive.

Pipe, then chill

This dough bakes best when very cold. Freezing the piped cookies helps them retain their shape and characteristic grooves in the oven.

Do not overbake – Keep them pale

These cookies should be light in color, almost white. Browning changes the texture and will cause them to dry out into a crumbly mess.

Cool completely before filling

Warm cookies will slide apart once the jam goes in.

How to Make Bakery-Style Italian Butter Cookies

Equipment:

• Stand Mixer
• Paddle Attachment
• Flour Sifter
• Stiff Rubber Spatula
• Ateco 869 Piping Tip
• Pastry bag
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients:

Butter Cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze & Filling:

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup thick rainbow sprinkles
• 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

Instructions:

For the Dough:

Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fully combined. Scrape down the sides and paddle, as needed.

On low speed, add the eggs, salt, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture. Fold by hand with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix, or it will produce hard cookies.

pipe & freeze:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and clear space in the freezer to accommodate them. Transfer 1/3 of the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.

Pipe 2″ lines of dough spaced about an inch apart. You should be able to fit four rows of 5 or 6 lines on each sheet. Refill the pastry bag as needed – carefully massage any large air bubbles out before piping.

Freeze the piped dough on the baking sheets for at least 1 hour before baking.

Bake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and move a rack to the middle.

Bake each cookie sheet for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Leave any unbaked sheets in the freezer until you are ready for the next one.

Remove the cookies from the oven sooner if you notice lightly browned edges. The tops should be light and pale.

Cool cookies on the pan for 30 minutes, then move to a rack and cool completely before storing or dipping.

Chocolate Dip:

In a small pot, melt down the chocolate chips with the heavy cream over low heat. Stir often to prevent scorching.

Add about 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles to a shallow dish and line a large cutting board or surface area with wax paper.

Dip the rounded edge of each cookie in melted chocolate, then roll in sprinkles. Re-warm the chocolate if it thickens too much before you are done.

Allow cookies to fully dry for at least 30 minutes on wax paper.

Assemble With Jam:

Add 1/2 teaspoon of jam to the flat side of one cookie. Spread it thinly over the surface.

Find a second cookie that is similar in size. Gently press the two flat sides together until the jam fills to the edge.

Allow to set on a serving platter or storage tray.

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Store filled sandwich cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Stack layers with a sheet of wax or parchment paper inbetween.
• Unfilled cookies freeze very well. Fully assembled cookies freeze once the chocolate has set. Wrap cookies well in plastic, then store in a freezer-safe storage bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.

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