Ingredients:
For the cookies:
150 grams(1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoonbaking soda
1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
1/4 teaspoonground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoonground ginger
1/4 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper (10 to 12 cranks)
113 grams(½ cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
80 grams(⅔ cup) confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoonsstrained honey jujube tea marmalade
For the pear-jujube filling:
1 ripe medium Bosc pear, peeled, cored, and diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 heaping cup of pear pieces)
100 grams(⅓ cup) honey jujube tea marmalade, including any fruit chunks
1/4 teaspoonkosher salt
1/8 teaspoonground ginger
1/8 teaspoonground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish:
2 tablespoonstoasted pine nuts
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper.
Using an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat the mixture on medium speed until it comes together and becomes creamy, about 1 minute.
Beat in the yolk, then beat in the jujube marmalade. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on low speed just until combined. Carefully beat in the remaining dry ingredients just until no flour patches remain, taking care not to overmix.
Roll the dough into 12 balls (each should be slightly smaller than a golf ball; if you’re using a kitchen scale, each ball should weigh 30 grams), spacing them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.
Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, rotating the sheet pans halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and very lightly browned around the edges.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a melon baller (or 1 tablespoon cookie scoop) to gently press a circular indentation 1½ inches in diameter in the center of each cookie. (The indentations should be deep enough to catch the filling.) Cool the cookies on the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Make the pear-jujube filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the diced pears, jujube marmalade, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and several cranks of black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture for 6 to 10 minutes (stirring occasionally to start, then more frequently with a rubber spatula as the liquid begins to evaporate), until the filling is reduced and jammy and the pears are softened. Transfer the filling to a small bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. You should have ½ cup.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the pear-jujube filling onto the center of each cookie and evenly spread into the indentations. Garnish with pine nuts.
The cookies are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature.