Plum Butter Cookies Recipe {Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe}

Plum butter cookies (pesochnoe pirozhnoe) are soft Ukrainian shortbread sandwich cookies with tart plum butter, cream cheese buttercream and a lemon glaze. Back home they came with a tiny smidgen of filling, so I make mine generous, and they taste best a full day after you fill them.

If you are after more plum cookies and filled Slavic treats, my Oreshki, Linzer Cookies and Plum Butter Pirog belong on the same table.

What Is Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe?

Pesochnoe pirozhnoe means “shortbread pastry.” Pesochnoe (literally “sandy”) is what Soviet bakeries called shortbread dough, and pirozhnoe is any small pastry. These plum butter cookies were in almost every bakery and café in Ukraine when I was a kid: two rounds of shortbread, a thin line of plum butter and cream, a white glaze and a brown drizzle on top.

We called them pisochnye pirozhnye at home, and they are on my short list of things I miss from Ukraine. The ones I grew up with had just a smidgen of filling, and you always wished for more. Mine have plenty. My older Plum Butter Cookie post is the same idea, dipped in chocolate instead of glazed.

Plum Butter Cookie Ingredients

The dough uses sour cream and baking soda, the old Soviet bakery way, so it bakes light and tender instead of dense. The plum butter has to be thick. Amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom.

Shortbread Cookie Dough

• Egg yolks and a whole egg: they bind the dough and make it rich. The extra yolks keep the baked cookie tender instead of tough.
• Granulated sugar: beaten with the fats, it whips air into the dough, and that air keeps the crumb light.
• Full-fat sour cream: it adds the acid the baking soda needs, and its fat keeps the cookie soft. Plain full-fat yogurt works in its place.
• Baking soda and vinegar: the soda makes these cookies light, and the vinegar gets it going and takes away its soapy taste. Do not swap in baking powder here.
• Butter: this is where the flavor comes from. Use it at room temperature, soft enough to dent with a finger.
• Shortening (butter flavor): shortening is all fat with no water, so the rounds keep their crisp edges in the oven. All butter works too, but the cookies spread a little more and brown faster.
• All-purpose flour: it gives the cookies their structure, and just enough of it keeps the dough soft. I measure 1 cup as 150 g: fluff the flour, scoop, and level.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Unsalted butter: whipped until pale, it is the base of the buttercream. Room temperature, so it whips up light.
• Full-fat cream cheese: the brick kind, for tang and body. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps, so it has to be at room temperature too.
• Heavy cream: at least 33% fat, straight from the fridge. The fat holds the air you whip in, so the buttercream stays light and soaks into the cookie.
• Vanilla extract: the only flavoring in the buttercream. It goes in with the butter.

Plum Butter Filling

• Plum butter (povidlo or lekvar): plums cooked down until thick and dark, much thicker than jam. Look for it at Slavic or Polish grocery stores, or make your own from prunes.
• Pitted prunes (for homemade plum butter): regular grocery store prunes, blended with a little sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla. They make a thick, dark plum butter that pipes well.

Lemon Glaze

• Powdered sugar: it dissolves into a smooth glaze that dries to a thin white shell on the cookie tops.
• Lemon juice: it keeps the glaze from tasting flatly sweet on an already sweet cookie. Milk works too, for a softer, whiter glaze.
• Cocoa powder: stirred into a little of the glaze for the brown drizzle. Regular unsweetened cocoa is fine.

How to Make Plum Butter Cookies, Step by Step

Bake the cookie rounds on day one and fill them the same evening or the next day. They need a day in the fridge before serving anyway, so nothing here is rushed.

How to Make Plum Butter from Prunes (Optional)

Skip this if you have store-bought plum butter. If not, regular prunes turn into a thick plum butter in about five minutes, and it needs time to cool, so make it first.

1. Warm the prunes – microwave the pitted prunes for about 2 minutes, until hot and soft, so they blend into a smooth paste.
2. Blend until smooth – add the prunes to a food processor with the sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla, and blend until completely smooth. A small high-powered blender works too. Skip any extra water, because the plum butter has to stay thick.
3. Cool completely – scrape it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature before piping.
   

   

How to Make the Plum Butter Cookie Dough

One bowl and a mixer, plus your hands for the last of the flour.

1. Slake the baking soda – stir the baking soda into the vinegar in a small cup and wait until the foam settles.
   
   Why stir baking soda into vinegar first?

   It is how Soviet bakeries made this dough. The vinegar starts the soda working and takes away its soapy taste, and the sour cream finishes the job in the oven. Baking powder is not a swap here.
2. Cream the fats – beat the butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer for about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, yolks, whole egg and the soda mixture, and mix until combined.
   
   Can I use all butter instead of shortening?

   Yes, swap it cup for cup. Butter has water in it and melts sooner, so the rounds spread a little and brown faster. Watch the first sheet closely and pull it a minute early if the edges color fast.
3. Add the flour – mix in most of the flour, then work in the rest by hand until the dough is soft and smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
   
   Do I have to add all of the flour?

   Not always. Flour and eggs vary, so stop once the dough is soft and just stops sticking, even if a little flour is left. A stiff dough bakes into dry, hard cookies.
4. Divide and chill – split the dough into 4 equal pieces, flatten each into a disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle while it chills.
   
   Why four flat disks instead of one ball?

   Flat disks get cold all the way through in 30 minutes, and a big ball does not. You also roll one piece at a time while the others stay cold, and cold dough keeps the rounds from losing their shape.

How to Roll and Bake the Shortbread Cookies

This dough rolls out between two sheets of parchment, and you bake it right on the bottom sheet.

1. Roll between parchment – set one disk on a sheet of parchment, flatten it, lay a second sheet on top and roll it into a rectangle about 9×10 inches and 3/16 inch thick (between 1/8 and 1/4 inch).
   
   Why roll between two sheets of parchment?

   The pin never touches the dough, so nothing sticks and nothing tears. You also skip the extra flour on the counter, and extra flour makes these cookies dry.

   

2. Cut the rounds – peel off the top sheet and cut 2-inch rounds about 1/8 inch apart; they barely spread. You get about 18 rounds from each disk. Lift away the scraps and slide the whole parchment onto a 12×18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Never move the rounds one by one, or they stretch out of shape. Press the scraps together, chill, and re-roll them for about 7 more rounds per disk.
3. Cut holes in half – stamp a small hole out of the middle of half the rounds with a bottle cap or a piping tip. These are the tops, so keep the count even with the bases.
   

   

4. Bake at 350°F (175°C) – about 7 minutes on the middle rack, until the edges turn golden. Watch closely, they burn fast. Peel the cookies off the parchment, let them cool, and reuse the parchment for the next piece of dough.
   
   How do I know they are done?

   They barely color, so look at the edges: pale gold and a dry, matte top. Lift one with a spatula. If it comes off the parchment clean and holds its shape, the tray is done. Another minute can take them from golden to burnt.

   

How to Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream

Room-temperature butter and cream cheese, cold heavy cream, and a light hand at the end.

1. Whip the butter – beat the butter with the vanilla for about 5 minutes, until it is nearly white and has grown in volume.
   

   

2. Add the cream cheese – cut it into cubes and add a couple at a time, mixing as little as possible after each.
   
   Why is my buttercream lumpy?

   The cream cheese was too cold. Take it out with the butter so both are soft enough to dent, and add it slowly. Lumps from cold cream cheese do not beat out later.

   

3. Fold in whipped cream – whip the cold heavy cream in a separate bowl, then fold it into the butter and cream cheese gently. Stop as soon as it is smooth; this buttercream separates easily.
   
   My buttercream separated. Can I fix it?

   Yes. Warm two spoonfuls in the microwave in 5-second bursts, two or three times, and fold them back in. Repeat until it comes together. You are bringing it back to room temperature, not melting it.

   

How to Fill and Glaze the Plum Butter Cookies

This part goes fast once both piping bags are filled.

1. Pipe both fillings – fill one piping bag with buttercream and one with plum butter, each with a 1/4-inch round tip. Warm the plum butter slightly first so it moves through the bag. Pipe buttercream on the tops and plum butter on the bases. No piping bags? A butter knife and a spoon work too, just slower.
2. Press together – set each top on a plum butter base and press gently until the fillings meet.
   

   

3. Make the glaze – stir the lemon juice into the powdered sugar until smooth. Move a couple of spoonfuls to a small bowl, stir in the cocoa, and cover it with plastic so it does not crust.
4. Glaze the tops – spread a little plain glaze over each top with a teaspoon, or dip the top and scrape off the extra on the side of the bowl.
   

   

5. Drizzle the cocoa glaze – spoon it into a zip-top bag, snip off a tiny corner and pipe lines across the cookies in one direction, then the other. Let the tops harden.
   

   

6. Refrigerate 24 hours – move the cookies to an airtight container and chill them for at least a day before serving. About half the buttercream soaks into the cookie in that time.
   
   Can I eat them the same day?

   You can, but they are a different cookie on day one: crisp, with a thick layer of cream in the middle. By the next day the cream has soaked in and they are soft. Day two and three are the best.

Marina’s Pro Tips for the Best Plum Butter Cookies

Most of what goes wrong here happens at the mixing bowl or in the last minute of baking.

1. Stir the soda into vinegar first. It lightens the dough and takes away the soapy taste. Baking powder does not work as a swap.
2. Keep the shortening in the dough. The rounds hold their crisp edges. All butter spreads more and browns faster.
3. Keep the cookie dough soft. Stop adding flour once it stops sticking, or the cookies bake up dry and hard.
4. Chill four flat disks, not one ball. Flat pieces get cold through in 30 minutes, so they roll out without sticking.
5. Roll the dough between parchment. The dough stays in one piece and you skip the extra flour that dries the cookies out.
6. Pull the cookies at golden edges. They barely color, and one extra minute takes them from golden to burnt.
7. Soften the cream cheese with the butter. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the buttercream that never beat out.
8. Fix split buttercream with a warm spoonful. Microwave two spoonfuls for a few seconds and fold them back in until it comes together.
9. Thicken runny plum butter first. Loose filling soaks into the cookie and squeezes out the sides, so cook it down until it holds a line.
10. Give the cookies a full day in the fridge. That is when the buttercream soaks in and they turn soft.

How to Make Plum Butter Cookies Ahead

These are made ahead by nature, since they need a day in the fridge before serving. To split up the work, bake the cookie rounds one day and fill and glaze them the next.

The questions that come up most with this cookie, starting with the ones that go wrong.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Oreshki – walnut-shaped cookies with dulce de leche, the other filled cookie on every Slavic holiday tray.
• Linzer Cookies – jam sandwich cookies with a window on top.
• Plum Butter Pirog – the same plum butter, baked into a big shortbread pie.
• Trubochki (Crispy Wafer Cookies) – thin wafer tubes filled with dulce de leche cream.
• Honeycomb Cake (Babka Nyagre) – another one that gets better after a night in the fridge.

Print

Plum Butter Cookies Recipe {Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe}

5 from 9 votes

Plum butter cookies (pesochnoe pirozhnoe) are soft Ukrainian shortbread sandwich cookies with tart plum butter, cream cheese buttercream and lemon glaze.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Ukrainian

Keyword: plum butter cookies

Calories: 216 kcal

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 1 day 3 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 50 cookies

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookie Dough

• 2 (36 g) egg yolks
• 1 (50 g) large egg
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda slaked in the vinegar (Note 1)
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vinegar
• 1/2 cup (113 g) butter room temperature
• 1 cup (190 g) butter-flavor shortening or 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (Note 2)
• 4 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour 1 cup = 150 g (Note 3); mix in 3 cups, then work in the last cup by hand

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
• 8 oz (227 g) full-fat cream cheese 1 brick, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream at least 33% fat, cold
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract

Plum Butter Filling

• 2 cups (600 g) plum butter thick (Note 4)

Plum Butter from Prunes (Optional)

• 2 cups (470 g) pitted prunes packed; makes about 2 cups plum butter
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water do not add more
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice or milk (Note 5)
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Equipment: The pans and tools I use are in my Amazon shop.

• 12x18-inch rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment Paper
• 2 inch round cookie cutter
• Piping bags with 1/4-inch round tips

Instructions

How to Make Plum Butter from Prunes (Optional)

1. Warm the prunes. Microwave them about 2 minutes, until hot and soft.
2. Blend until smooth. Food processor with the sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla. No extra water (Note 4).
3. Cool completely before piping. (See post above for the photo tutorial.)

How to Make the Plum Butter Cookie Dough

1. Slake the baking soda. Stir it into the vinegar in a small cup and let the foam settle (Note 1).
2. Cream the fats. Beat the butter, shortening and sugar for about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, yolks, egg and soda mixture, and mix until combined (Note 2).
3. Add the flour. Mix in most of it, then work in the rest by hand until the dough is soft, smooth and no longer sticky (Note 3).
4. Divide and chill. Four equal flat disks, at least 30 minutes in the fridge. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle.

How to Roll and Bake the Shortbread Cookies

1. Roll between parchment. One disk between two sheets, into a rectangle about 9x10 inches and 3/16 inch thick.
2. Cut 2-inch rounds about 1/8 inch apart (about 18 per disk), lift away the scraps and slide the whole parchment onto a 12x18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Do not move the rounds one by one. Chill and re-roll the scraps for about 7 more rounds per disk.
3. Cut holes in half the rounds with a bottle cap or piping tip, keeping tops and bases even.
4. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 7 minutes, until the edges are golden. They burn fast. Peel off the parchment, cool, and reuse the parchment for the next disk. (See post above for the photo tutorial.)

How to Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream

1. Whip the butter and vanilla for about 5 minutes, until nearly white and grown in volume.
2. Add the cream cheese in cubes, a couple at a time, mixing as little as possible after each.
3. Whip the cream in a separate bowl and fold it in gently. Do not overfold, it separates easily (Note 6).

How to Fill and Glaze the Plum Butter Cookies

1. Pipe the fillings. Two bags with 1/4-inch round tips: buttercream on the tops with holes, slightly warmed plum butter on the bases (Note 4). Press together.
2. Make the glaze. Stir the lemon juice into the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir the cocoa into a couple of spoonfuls and cover with plastic (Note 5).
3. Glaze the tops with a teaspoon, or dip them and scrape off the extra.
4. Drizzle the cocoa glaze from a zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off, in both directions. Let the tops harden.
5. Refrigerate at least 24 hours in an airtight container before serving (Note 7).

Recipe Notes

1. Doubling the batch: changing the servings multiplies every amount straight across, and baking soda should not go up the whole way. Keep the first batch worth in full and add three quarters of it for each extra batch: 1 tsp becomes 1 3/4 tsp when you double, not 2. A full multiple makes the cookies rise and spread more than intended.

2. Shortening or butter: use one or the other. Shortening keeps the rounds crisp at the edges. All butter spreads a little more and browns faster, so watch the first sheet.

3. Measuring flour: 1 cup = 150 g. Fluff the flour, scoop, and level. Weigh it if you can. The dough should be soft and smooth, not stiff. Stop adding flour once it stops sticking.

4. Plum butter: it has to mound on a spoon. If it runs, simmer it in a wide pan until a spoon leaves a line, then cool it. Thick apricot butter works too. No plum butter? Make it from prunes with the optional ingredients above; keep it thick and do not add extra water.

5. Glaze: milk instead of lemon juice gives a softer, whiter glaze. Add the liquid a little at a time until the glaze is smooth and spreadable.

6. Split buttercream: microwave two spoonfuls in 5-second bursts, two or three times, and fold them back in. Repeat until smooth. You are warming it to room temperature, not melting it.

7. The 24-hour rest: about half the buttercream soaks into the cookie overnight and turns it soft. Days two and three are the best.

8. Yield: about 50 sandwich cookies (about 100 rounds) with a 2-inch cutter: each disk rolled to 9x10 inches gives about 18 rounds, plus about 7 more from the re-rolled scraps.

9. Storage: fridge, airtight, up to 5 days. Freeze filled and glazed for up to 2 months, and thaw covered in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts

Plum Butter Cookies Recipe {Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe}

Amount Per Serving (50 g)

Calories 216 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 25mg8%

Sodium 66mg3%

Potassium 44mg1%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 182IU4%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 16mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Print

I first shared these plum butter cookies in 2016, a bakery-case favorite from home that I could finally fill the way I wanted. I updated the post in September 2026 with the recipe split into dough, baking, buttercream and glaze sections, fixes for sticky dough, split buttercream and runny plum butter, a step-by-step option for making plum butter from prunes, and metric amounts in the recipe card.