Step 1

Cut the room temperature butter into cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar and cream together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg, vanilla, and orange zest; beat until thoroughly combined.

Step 2

Sift the flour and salt into the bowl.

Step 3

Blend until the dough forms large clumps. (To test, take a little bit of the dough and press it together with your fingers; if it holds together, it’s good to go. If it feels crumbly, add water, 1-2 teaspoons at a time only if necessary. Be careful - too much water will require more flour, which will make the pastry tough.)

Step 4

Using your hands, begin to knead dough until it comes together into a smooth soft ball. (Try not to overwork the dough. It should be slightly tacky, but not at all sticky, with a good texture for rolling.)

Step 5

Flatten the ball of dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.

Step 6

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and have your jam ready to go.

Step 7

Unwrap the dough and place on a clean work surface that's lightly dusted with flour.

Step 8

Using a heavy rolling pin dusted with flour, roll the dough between 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. The chilled dough will be firm and initially a bit tough to roll out. Let it sit for a couple minutes to soften. (Don't worry too much if the dough breaks along the edges as you're rolling, since you will be re-rolling the scraps.) Lightly re-flour the rolling pin occasionally to prevent sticking, if necessary.

Step 9

Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or glass with a 3-inch rim, cut as many circles out of the dough as you can.

Step 10

Collect the scraps of dough, re-roll, and cut more circles. Repeat this process until you can't make any more circles from the dough. You should end up with about 30 circles (the thickness of your dough will determine how many you get.)

Step 11

Using a thin spatula, gently slide under each circle to release it from the work surface and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, 1- inch apart.

Step 12

Put 1 rounded teaspoon of jam in the center of each circle, then fold up the edges to form a triangle, pinching the 3 corners together gently but very well to secure the shape and prevent filling from leaking while baking. (Use the warmth of your fingers to smooth out where the dough has been joined or if there are any cracks.)

Step 13

Transfer baking sheets to the refrigerator to chill while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 14

Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to brown around the edges. (Because the thickness of the dough can vary and can cook quite fast if rolled thin, start checking them at 12 minutes and watch them carefully, especially if your oven runs hot.)

Step 15

Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They'll firm up as they cool.