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Plum Butter Cookies Recipe {Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe}

Plum Butter Cookies – Shortbread Cookie with Plum Butter and Buttercream filling is a classic Ukrainian pastry recipe that is very popular among the Slavic community (Pesochnoe Pirozhenoe) 

Plum Butter Cookies stacked on a blue decorative plate.

Having lived in the US for 16 years now, there are not many things that I am nostalgic about when it comes to my home country of Ukraine. Since most of my adult memories were made here, there’s not much I remember to begin with, but there are still a few things that I miss.

These cookies, which were called Pisochnye Pirozhnue (translates as – shortbread pastries) are on that short list of things I miss for sure.

Pastry cookies filled with plum butter and buttercream on a plate with a glass of milk.

Back home they looked a little different because they had just a tiny tiny smidgen of the filling and whenever you ate it you really wished there was more.

The plum butter gives the cookie a little bit of tartness, which is nice because the cookie itself is sweet. The white cream filling is there to soften the cookie and bring it together with the filling.

At first, when you fill the cookie it has a thick layer of frosting in the middle, but in a day at least half of it gets absorbed by the cookie, making it soft while still adding flavor to the overall thing. So, this cookie should be made a day, or even a couple days ahead and not on the day of.

Plum Butter Cookies stacked on top of each other made with a rich butter cream filling.

Being able to make the cookies yourself you can put as much or as little filling as you would like, but in my recipe, I use generous amounts since that is how our family likes it.

Enjoy!
Step by step pictures below are from a tripled batch of Plum Butter Cookies. 

Plum Butter Cookies (Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe)

Yield: two full 12in x18 in tray of cookies,
Or 90 small 2 inch cookies
or about 50 medium 3 inch cookies

Shortbread Cookie Ingredients:

  • egg yolks
  • egg
  • sugar
  • sour cream
  • baking soda + vinegar
  • butter, room temperature
  • Crisco Shortening – Butter Flavor or butter room temperature (find it in the baking section of your store)
  • flour

Cream Cheese Buttercream:

  • butter, unsalted, room temperature
  • cream cheese, room temperature
  • heavy cream (at least 33% fat content)
  • vanilla extract

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

  • lemon juice or milk
  • powdered sugar
  • cocoa powder

Also:

How to make the Plum Butter Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 F with the rack in the middle.
Combine baking soda with vinegar in a cup and stir until the foam subsides.

Cream together 1/2 cup butter with 1 cup Crisco shortening and 1 cup sugar for about 1 minute with a mixer. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 egg yolks, 1 egg and the baking soda+vinegar mixture and mix until combined. Now add 3 cups sifted flour and mix until it comes together.

Once the flour is mixed in, add one more cup and mix it in by hand. Split the dough into 4 equal pieces and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Shape and Bake the cookies:

The dough comes out pretty crumbly, so we will need to use special techniques to keep the cookies from sticking to the rolling pin, or falling apart, or losing shape as you transfer them from the rolling surface to the baking sheet.

To do this, you will need two large pieces of parchment paper. Now put them inside your jelly roll baking sheet and bend the sides. This will mark how far you need to roll out the dough.

Now remove the sheets and place the dough in the middle of the first sheet. Flatten it into a disk.

Top it with one more piece of parchment paper and roll the dough thinly making it the shape of the inside of the baking sheet, trying to stay within the marked lines.  The parchment paper keeps the rolling pin from sticking to the dough.
How to roll out dough for plum butter cookies on parchment paper with a rolling pin.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out round cookie shapes leaving only about 1/8 of an inch between each cookie. The cookies don’t expand much, so they will be ok.
Now carefully remove the dough excess around the cutouts. Transfer the parchment with the cutouts to the baking sheet.

If you would like to have holes in the top cookies, use a smaller round object to cut out the hole in the middle of each cookie. As you bake, make sure you get equal quantities of both the bases and the tops with the holes in the middle.

How cut out holes in the top cookies using a smaller round object and bake until golden.
Bake in the middle rack for about 7 minutes, or until golden in color, watch them closely as they burn very quickly. Remove from the oven, peel cookies off the parchment paper and allow to cool. Use the parchment paper again to roll out the remaining dough and bake the rest of the cookies.

Shortbread cookie shells in a baking sheet.

Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

Whip 2 sticks butter and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract for about 5 minutes or until very white/pale in color and increased in volume.
How to prepare the buttercream filling for these plum butter cookies.
Now cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and add them into the whipped butter a couple cubes at a time, minimally whipping after each addition.
How to make a sweet buttercream filling for these amazing shortbread cookies.
Separately whip the heavy cream, then carefully fold it into whipped butter and cream cheese mixture. Do not overfold, as the mixture separates easily. If the mixture does start to separate, take a couple spoons of buttercream and microwave it in 5 seconds increments, about 2 or 3 times, then fold it back into the rest of the buttercream.

Do so, until the cream comes together. With heating the buttercream, you’re just trying to bring it to room temperature, and not make it melt.

Rich buttercream for filling these simple shortbread cookies.
Now fill two pastry bags with a 1/4 inch round tip each. Fill one bag with cream cheese buttercream and the other one with plum butter. Plum butter is easier to push through the pastry bag if it is first warmed up.

You can also use just a plain butter knife and a spoon to spread cream cheese buttercream and plum butter on each half of the cookie, but it does take longer than using a pastry bag. Now push two halves with two different fillings together.

How to prepare these easy plum butter cookies.

Make the glaze and apply to cookies:

Now stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Take away couple tablespoons of the glaze and add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to it, then stir again until smooth; cover with plastic wrap.
Either use a teaspoon to spread a little bit of glaze on top of the cookie or dip the top slightly into the glaze then scrape excess against the edge of the bowl.
How to decorate shortbread cookies with a simple icing and filled with plum butter and buttercream.

Now fill a ziplock bag with the cocoa glaze and put a couple lines across lined up cookies in one direction, and then a couple lines in the opposite direction.
Allow the tops to harden.

How to top plum butter cookies with chocolate drizzle,

Then, transfer cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before consuming.

Plum Butter Cookies laid out on a baking sheet topped with icing and chocolate drizzle.

Cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to fridge and leave there until no longer frozen.

Enjoy these other Cookie recipes:

Plum Butter Cookies {Pesochnoe Pirozhnoe}

Plum Butter Cookie - Shortbread Cookie with Plum Butter and Buttercream filling is a classic Ukrainian pastry recipe that is very popular among the slavic comunity (Pesochnoe Pirozhenoe) | Let the Baking Begin!
5 from 9 votes

Shortbread cookies made with a simple buttercream and plum butter filling. A delicious pastry cookie recipe that is great for holidays and parties.

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: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 50 cookies

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookie Ingredients

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup 225 gr sugar
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1/2 cup butter 113 grams, room temperature
  • 1 cup of Crisco Shortening – Butter Flavor 6.3 oz or two sticks butter (230 grams), room temperature (find it in the baking section of your store)
  • 3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour

Cream Cheese Buttercream Ingredients

  • 2 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature
  • 1 cups cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream at least 33% fat content
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Sugar Glaze

Also:

  • 2 cups Plum Butter

Instructions

How to make the Plum Butter Cookies -

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle.

  2. Combine 1 tsp baking soda with 1 tbsp vinegar in a cup and stir until the foam subsides.

  3. Cream together 1/2 cup butter with 1 cup Crisco shortening and 1 cup sugar for about 1 minute with a mixer. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 egg yolks, 1 egg and the baking soda+vinegar mixture and mix until combined. Now add 3 cups sifted flour and mix until it comes together. Once the flour is mixed in, add one more cup and mix it in by hand. Split the dough into 4 equal pieces and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Shape and Bake the cookies

  1. The dough comes out pretty crumbly, so we will need to use special techniques to keep the cookies from sticking to the rolling pin, or falling apart, or losing shape as you transfer them from the rolling surface to the baking sheet.
  2. To do this, you will need two large pieces of parchment paper. Now put them inside your jelly roll baking sheet and bend the sides. This will mark how far you need to roll out the dough.
  3. Now remove the sheets and place the dough in the middle of the first sheet. Flatten it into a disk. Top it with one more piece of parchment paper and roll the dough thinly making it the shape of the inside of the baking sheet, trying to stay within the marked lines. The parchment paper keeps the rolling pin from sticking to the dough.
  4. Use a cookie cutter to cut out round cookie shapes leaving only about 1/8 of an inch between each cookie. The cookies don't expand much, so they will be ok. Now carefully remove the dough excess around the cutouts. Transfer the parchment with the cutouts to the baking sheet.
  5. If you would like to have holes in the top cookies, use a smaller round object to cutout the hole in the middle of each cookie. As you bake, make sure you get equal quantities of both the bases and the tops with the holes in the middle.
  6. Bake in the middle rack for about 7 minutes, or until golden in color, watch them closely as they burn very quickly. Remove from the oven, peel cookies off the parchment paper and allow to cool. Use the parchment paper again to roll out the remaining dough and bake the rest of the cookies.

Make the Cream cheese Buttercream

  1. Whip 2 sticks butter and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract for about 5 minutes or until very white/pale in color and increased in volume.

  2. Now cut 1 cup cream cheese into smaller pieces and add them into the whipped butter a couple of cubes at a time, minimally whipping after each addition.

  3. Separately whip 1/2 cup heavy cream, then carefully fold it into whipped butter and cream cheese mixture. Do not overfold, as the mixture separates easily. If the mixture does start to separate, take a couple of spoons of buttercream and microwave it in 5 seconds increments, about 2 or 3 times, then fold it back into the rest of the buttercream. Do so, until the cream comes together. With heating the buttercream, you're just trying to bring it to room temperature, and not make it melt.

  4. Now fill two pastry bags with a 1/4 inch round tip each. Fill one bag with cream cheese buttercream and the other one with plum butter. Plum butter is easier to push through the pastry bag if it is first warmed up.
  5. You can also use just a plain butter knife and a spoon to spread cream cheese buttercream and plum butter on each half of the cookie, but it does take longer than using a pastry bag. Now push two halves with two different fillings together.

Make the glaze and apply to cookies:

  1. Now stir 2-3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 cup powdered sugar together until smooth. Take away couple tablespoons of the glaze and add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to it, then stir again until smooth; cover with plastic wrap.

  2. Either use a teaspoon to spread a little bit of glaze on top of the cookie, or dip the top slightly into the glaze then scrape excess against the edge of the bowl.
  3. Now fill a ziplock bag with the cocoa glaze and put a couple lines across lined up cookies in one direction, and then a couple lines in the opposite direction.
  4. Allow the tops to harden.
  5. Then, transfer cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before consuming.

Recipe Notes

Cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to fridge and leave there until no longer frozen.

Nutrition Facts
Plum Butter Cookies {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.

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Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Welcome to Let the Baking Begin! I'm Marina and my love and passion for eating only the most delicious foods drive me to share that love here on Let the Baking Begin (since 2009). With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, you know the recipes are tested and retested until perfect. I'm so happy to have you here. Enjoy! Read more...

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  • Eva K

    Amazing cookies ! Thank you for this recipe!

    · Reply
  • Tanya k

    They are just perfect!

    · Reply
  • Tammy

    Why is the butter and sugar given in grams but not the flour? What is the weight do you use?

    · Reply
  • Gary

    My wife and I are making this recipe today. We noticed something that confused us. Your recipe does not call for any sweetener in the buttercream frosting. That seems odd to us, for a cookie filling to be without any sweetener. Is it supposed to be this way?

    · Reply
    • That’s a good question.
      The recipe is correct in that the buttercream has no sweetener. To keep the sweetness in balance, the cream has no sugar, because the top has the sugar glaze. If you were not to use the sugar glaze, you would is need to add sugar to the cream.

      Good luck!

      · Reply
  • Kristina

    Marina if I substitute butter for Crisco, will the cookies turn out as good? I tried these cookies from my sister in law and they are amazing! I just feel a little more comfortable using butter versus Crisco. Can you please let me know if butter will work?

    · Reply
  • I am sure that after baking beautiful cookies[biscuits] like these, it is an awesome satisfactory feeling the Baker gets to present smashing cookies of this caliber to the tea table or take with as a special treat to a dear friend. This would be a tremendous challenge to me, I would like to give it a go, The time consuming will be in the assembly of these or other likewise cookies. So worth the effort, just be organized. Thanks for showing and sharing.

    · Reply
  • Tammy

    I just got done making some plum butter for the first time. It is amazing! I was looking around for recipes to use with the butter and found this. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!

    · Reply
  • Марина

    Мариночка, какая же ты молодец, я этот рецепт уже какой год ищу. Выглядят очень аппетитно. Вспомню своё детство когда их приготовлю. Спасибо тебе огромное за твои рецепты.

    · Reply
    • Спасибо большое Марина! Я надеюсь что эти будут даже лучше чем те которые вы помните! 🙂

      Мне в советских (с детства) всегда повидла не хватало lol

      · Reply
  • Aleona

    I kept looking for this recipe for years and I have to tell you, this one is the best! My husband does not like cookies but these he just can’t stop eating.

    · Reply
    • Hi Alena,
      I looked for this recipe for years before I found it and also was so excited when I did! I’m happy you like the recipe!

      · Reply
  • Lana

    Can I use preserves or jam instead of plum butter?

    · Reply
    • Jam or preserve is a lot thinner than plum butter. If you’re to use jam or plum butter, I would put the butter frosting on the bottom half in a ring shape, then put the top portion of the cookie (with the hole) and then fill the hole with jam from the top. Let the settle like that for at least 1 day before trying to eat them, otherwise the jam will ooze out.

      · Reply
  • Irina

    Hi! These look amazing! I really want to make them for Easter! Where can I get plum butter? Could you send a picture of the jar, please? Thanks!

    · Reply
  • These look great. Thank you for sharing !

    · Reply
  • Tanya

    Marinochka,
    Wow, you are so incredibly talented!!! These Cookies look like they came from a store! They do look super delicious! I just have a quick question, if I substitute shortening with butter, will I have similar results? Thank you!

    · Reply

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