Italian nut and jam rolled cookies, another cookie that’s perfect for dunking! A subtle orange flavored dough wrapped around a crunchy, nutty filling sweetened with jam. Enjoy right out of the oven or bake twice until crisp. A versatile recipe that can be made with a variety of nuts and jam of your choice!
Note: Based on reader feedback, as of November 4, 2022 the recipe for the cookie dough has been modified in order to make the dough easier to handle and roll when filling the cookies.
Italian nut and jam rolled cookies is another one of those recipes that’s been passed on from one of my aunts to my mother and in the process was adapted numerous times. These crisp, nutty cookies have a subtle orange flavored dough and are basically a rolled version of biscotti!
My mother almost always prepares hers with cherry jam and almonds. I chose hazelnuts and fig jam on this particular day because that is what I had in my refrigerator.
These rolled cookies can be served in two different ways, soft right out of the oven or you can double bake them for a crisp cookie perfect for dunking!
Either way I love this recipe because it is so versatile. Here are just a few suggestions on how you can personalize this recipe!
Variations of Italian Nut and Jam Rolled Cookies:
- Replace the hazelnuts with almonds or walnuts.
- I enjoy biting into larger chunks of nuts but you can crush them into finer pieces.
- Swap out the fig jam I used for any jam of your choice such as strawberry; raspberry; apricot or orange jam. My mom prefers hers with cherry jam.
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed, printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Whisk in vegetable oil; milk; and orange zest.
Sift all-purpose flour; baking powder and salt. Use a wooden spoon to combine all ingredients until a dough is formed. The dough will be slightly tacky to the touch and soft, this is normal.
Scrape the dough onto your counter. Knead lightly to shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling:
Meanwhile crush the hazelnuts. My preferred method, as my my does, is by placing the nuts on a clean dish towel, fold it over and use a meat mallet to crush the nuts. Set aside.
Remove the jam from the refrigerator. It will be easier to spread at room temperature.
Assemble the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper the same size of your baking sheet and dust it lightly with flour.
After 30 minutes remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide in half, keeping the second half wrapped, and place on the prepared parchment paper. Dust lightly with more flour and roll it out into a 12 X 9 inch rectangle.
Place half the jam in dollops over the dough and use an offset spatula to spread it out. Leave a 1-inch border all around (which makes it easier to roll without the filling oozing out) and cover generously with half of the chopped nuts. Press them down lightly onto the jam.
Grab the long end of the parchment paper closest to you you and begin rolling the dough as tightly as possible. End with the seam side down, fold over both ends and tuck them underneath.
Carefully lift the log and place on the baking sheet. Continue with the second piece of dough.
Bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown. 
At this point, if you wish to enjoy the cookies with a softer texture, as is, let the logs cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and slice just before serving.
Or if you prefer a crunchier cookie, reduce the oven temperature to 280 degrees F. Transfer the logs onto a cutting board and cut them into 3/4 inch wide slices. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes per side or until desired level of crispness. Let cool and enjoy!
Tips and suggestions:
- The cookie dough will be slightly tacky and soft, this is normal. Lightly flour your parchment paper, the dough as well as your rolling pin in order to prevent from sticking while rolling it.
- Swap out hazelnuts for nuts of your choice such as almonds or walnuts.
- Use jam of your choice including cherry; strawberry; raspberry or apricot jam.
- For best results use a non-serrated knife and cut the cookies in one swift movement.
Can these cookies be frozen?
If you bake these cookies a second time until dried out, the level of humidity will be quite low. Therefore, they keep well at room temperature for weeks and don’t require freezing.
If on the other hand you prefer them soft, let the logs cool, wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze as is for up to 3 months. Let them defrost and then slice right before serving.
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed them by rating the recipe in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
More Italian cookie recipes for you to check out!
- Classic Almond Biscotti with Variations
- Biscotti di San Martino
- Easy Anise Biscotti Recipe
- Chocolate Pizzelle
- Cuccidati – Sicilian Fig Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Hazelnut Cookies
- Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Genovesi Ericine – Sicilian Pastry Recipe
- Sheet Pan Almond Biscotti
- Italian Pizzelle Cookies
- Chewy Amaretti Cookies
- Tetù (Sicilian Chocolate Spice Cookies)
- Pistachio Amaretti
- Italian Lemon Glazed Cookies
- Italian Orange Juice Cookies
- Chocolate Espresso Amaretti Cookies
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 orange, zested
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For the filling
- 1 cup fig jam or jam of your choice
- 2 cups hazelnuts (skin removed) or almonds or walnuts
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Whisk in vegetable oil; milk; and orange zest.
- Sift all-purpose flour; baking powder and a pinch of salt. Use a wooden spoon to combine all ingredients until a dough is formed. The dough will be slightly tacky to the touch.
- Scrape the dough onto your counter. Knead lightly to shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
For the filling
- Meanwhile crush the hazelnuts. My preferred method, as my my does, is by placing the nuts on a clean dish towel, fold it over and use a meat mallet to crush the nuts. Set aside.
- Remove the jam from the refrigerator, it is easier to spread at room temperature.
To assemble
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper the same size of your baking sheet and dust it lightly with flour.
- After 30 minutes remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide in half, keeping the second half wrapped, and place on the prepared parchment paper. Dust lightly with more flour and roll it out into a 12 X 9 inch rectangle.
- Place half of the jam in dollops over the dough and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the dough. Leave a 1-inch border all around in order to prevent the filling from oozing out when rolling. Cover generously with half the chopped nuts and lightly press them down onto the jam.
- Grab the long end of the parchment paper facing you and begin rolling the dough as tightly as possible. End with the seam side down, fold over both ends and tuck them underneath. Carefully lift the log and place on the baking sheet. Continue with the second piece of dough.
- Bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown.
Enjoy as is
- At this point, if you wish to enjoy the cookies with a softer texture, as is, let the logs cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and slice just before serving.
Bake again for crisp texture
- If you prefer a crunchier cookie, reduce the oven temperature to 280 degrees F. Transfer the logs onto a cutting board and cut them into 3/4 inch wide slices. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes per side or until desired level of crispness. Let cool.
Notes
Tips and suggestions:
- The cookie dough will be slightly sticky and soft, this is normal. Lightly flour your parchment paper, the dough as well as your rolling pin in order to prevent from sticking while rolling it.
- Swap out hazelnuts for nuts of your choice such as almonds or walnuts.
- Use jam of your choice including cherry; strawberry; raspberry or apricot jam.
- For best results use a non-serrated knife and cut the cookies in one swift movement.
Can Italian nut and jam rolled cookies be frozen?
- If you bake these cookies a second time until dried out, the level of humidity will be quite low. Therefore, they keep well at room temperature for weeks and don't require freezing.
- If on the other hand you prefer them soft, let the logs cool, wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze as is for up to 3 months. Let them defrost and then slice right before serving.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.
One stick broke one stick was perfect. So I put powdered sugar to hide the top. They were delicious I used apricot marmalade
So glad you enjoyed these cookies Maryann and I’m sure they were delicious with apricot marmalade as well. Thanks for sharing!
Hi do you think I can use pastry flour?
Thank you❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Jen, although I do not have much experience with pastry flour, according to my research pastry flour can be substituted (in equal amounts) for all purpose flour. So it should work. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try!
Unfortunately, mine came out disastrous. They opened up and cracked completely. It needed another 1/2 flour to prevent them from doing that.
Hi Melina, it’s unfortunate that yours cracked completely although a little cracking does occur. Indeed the dough is delicate but please let me know if you try them again. Thank you for your comment.
I made the recipe, the dough was very soft and I added an extra 2 tbsp flour, otherwise it was liquid-y! It was easy to handle the dough and roll out.
But, my logs both cracked along the top while baking (not disastrous, just doesn’t look as pretty). Do you know what went wrong?
Hello Alyssa, I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! I’m thinking perhaps they bathed a bit too long, but ti be honest with you this sometimes happens to me too and it isn’t a problem as it doesn’t affect the outcome. Thank you for your comment!
I made a mixture of chocolate chips and walnuts which I blitzed in my food processor. Then I spread the mixture with some black currant jelly making a paste which I used as the filling. I double baked the biscotti and they were excellent They do last a long time as they are fairly dry after double baking
Oh that sounds delicious, thank you for sharing!
This is so delicious!
I was a little nervous about making it given the other reviews re the soft dough, but I followed the recipe as per your instructions and it turned out beautifully.
I used a dough scraper to bring it together and used the same paper that I rolled it out on/ rolled up to bake it on, as someone else suggested. This meant that I didn’t have to handle the dough too much.
Will make again. Thank you
Hello Anne, I recently updated the dough recipe (as indicated at the top of the post) in order to make the dough easier to handle, so thank you for your testimony! I’m glad it turned out well. And yes I agree a dough scraper is quite helpful for this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Very happy how they turned and delicious however I had a hard time cutting them any suggestions
Hello Franca, thank you very much for your feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Can you give me a little more detail regarding the difficulty you had cutting them? Did they break apart, were they too hard etc. I use a chef’s knife, not a serrated knife, to cut them in one swift movement, that is without sawing them. Hope this helps!
Thank you .
Love the way they turned out.
The atep by step recipe & method made it very easy . And they are delicious .
Hello Fazila, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Thank you for taking the time to comment, enjoy!
The dough was still way to sticky to roll out even after refrigerated over night.
I did as directed and generously flowered the parchment paper. The first half stuck everywhere so I ended up mixing it in to a drop dough. The second half I way over flowered the parchment and the dough. Was less sticky but still hard to roll. My roll looked nothing like the picture.
Hi Debra, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with this dough. It is indeed soft and slightly sticky but I have always managed to gently roll it with a floured sheet of parchment paper. The result is a cookie with a tender crumb.
Hi, Nadia! I’m on a quest to help a family friend solve a long-running mystery. Their nonna always calls cookies like these “uchi-dadis” (rhymes with “smoochy bodies”). Nonna swears that this is what the Italian-Jewish bakery called them. We’ve been able to find that the Jewish word is “rugelach” but we haven’t been able to find any info on the mysterious “uchi-dadi” name. Your image here is definitely the closest thing I’ve seen to rugelach. Is there a name for these other than “Italian Nut and Jam Rolled Cookies”?
Hello Cookie Researcher, that’s an easy one they are cuccidati! Cuccidati are filled with figs, nuts and lots of other goodies. You are correct, they do resemble my nut roll cookies but they are not quite the same. Unfortunately I do not presently have a recipe posted for these but plan to work on one before the next Christmas holiday season!
Nadia
Happy to find your page. My fathers parents were from Sicily and their name was Fazio too. My grandmother made sfinge with fennel seeds. They were delicious. We grow figs in pots in US and bring the in the garage over winter. I make fig jam which is delicious with cheese. I remember my father saying BEDDA MIA. Unfortunately, I never learned any Italian or Sicilian except for words. Thanks for sharing your recipes
Hello JoAnn, thanks for reaching out to me! I have encountered many Fazios throughout the years that are not all from my dad’s part of Sicily. Where were your parents from? I have not heard of sfinge made with fennel seeds but I’m sure they’re delicious! My dad also had a fig plant that he would bury to protect it from our harsh winters. It was definitely a labor of love, I can’t imagine doing that! Your fig jam must be delicious! As for the word “bedda”, my nonna always said to me “mangia bedda” when I was little because I didn’t like to eat back then. Her words have remained with me throughout my life. At home we always spoke Sicilian with my parents and I still do with my mom. I hope you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in our wonderful dialect some day. Thanks again for your kind words, stay well.
Another great recipe and delicious! I spread a nice amount of Nutella on them instead of the jam and nuts. I baked them only once . They came out amazing! Everyone loved them. The dough is tacky and soft but the floured parchment paper helps immensely with the rolling. I didn’t try to lift them up to put on pan with fresh parchment paper . I left each roll on its own parchment paper and placed them both beside each other on one pan . I trimmed away any excess paper before baking.
Thanks for another great recipe, Nadia!
Hello Rose, well that certainly sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your experience and tips with this dough. You are right it is tacky and soft and that is why using parchment paper to roll them is a must! But the result is a cookie with a tender crumb. Thanks again for sharing Rose!
Hi I made this today the dough was way too soft I added an extra 1/2 cup flour chilled in the freezer and it was too soft and it spread too much… I was so disappointed was so looking forward to making this recipe
Hello Ann, yes indeed the dough is soft and slightly tacky. I did mention in the recipe, specifically in my Tips and Suggestions that the dough is soft and I suggest that you flour your parchment paper, the dough and rolling pin when rolling out the dough. It does need to be handled gently and I shall modify my recipe post to highlight this. Therefore, the dough does not need any additional flour. The softer dough also ensures a cookie with a tender crumb in the first step of baking. There are those, including myself, who like them baked once! I assure you that the photos depict the exact recipe that I wrote down and you’ll notice that my cookie logs did not spread but did puff up nicely due to the baking powder in the recipe. I’m really sorry to hear that yours did not turn out as you expected and I truly hope that this explanation is helpful. Thank you for your feedback, it is truly appreciated!
My mom made these cookies all the time and I loved them! I have looked high and low for the recipe but no luck. I was thrilled to find them here and couldn’t wait to make them.The only difference is that she added chopped maraschino cherries and used walnuts.I just made them and they are exactly as I remember! Thank you so much!
Hello Lorraine, I’m so glad to hear that you have found my recipe. And it can be endlessly varied with different nuts and jam, in fact your maraschino cherry and walnut combination sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing with me!
Hi Nadia
Can you just use jam as a filling? We have but allergies in the house.
Hello Marzia, exccellent question! Although I have not tried it myself I have come across similar recipes that are made only with jam and so I’m certain that they will turn out just as good. I would, however, suggest that you add a bit more jam to the cookies. Perhaps start with an extra 1/4 cup per log? You want enough jam but of course not too much that it oozes out when you roll the cookies. Please let me know how they turn out if you give it a try. Thanks!
I too encountered a very soft dough. I was very disappointed in the set up.. the one chilled, and trying to roll the dough. I lost so much time..
Hello Tracey, yes indeed the dough is soft and must be rolled out gently without too much pressure. The soft dough makes for a cookie with a tender crumb. Hope they turned out well!
Tried this nut roll way to soft ,the first one was a mess second one I put a lot flour on paper and able to get it in oven ,I followed the recipt exactly I’m disappointed …..
Hello Marian, indeed it is a soft dough and therefore can not be over handled but it does work. May I ask how they turned out after you baked them? Thank you for taking the time to give me your feedback!