Jammie Dodgers

Recently, a friend shared a jar of her homemade organic strawberry jam with me, but we don't consume much jam in the house (nutella and pb ftw!). I don't want to waste her efforts, so I use them in these adorable jammie dodgers and let her jam shine. I gifted some back to her and seeing how her kids polished off a good half of them in a go, I think I did justice to her jam.

Jammie dodgers are one of UK's most popular biscuits. If you grew up there, you probably have had them in your lunchbox some time in your life. Although traditionally raspberry jam filled, a range of various fillings can be used. For this application, I have used my friend's lovely strawberry jam but you are welcome to revert to its traditional flavor or any other preferred flavor. Be sure to share it with me! *wink*

Jammie Dodgers (makes 24-36 depending on size)

250g     Butter, unsalted

100g     Confectioner's sugar (aka powdered sugar)

  50g     Castor sugar

    2      Egg yolks, lightly beaten

   5g     Vanilla extract

300g     All-purpose flour

100g     Almond meal

   2g     Salt

Strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 160°C

1. Sift together the flour, almond meal, salt and reserve.

2. With a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars till mixture is creamy and color is pale.

3. Slowly add in the egg yolks while beating, making sure it has incorporated fully before adding the vanilla extract.

4. Add in the flour mixture and mix till the dough just comes together. Cling wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 mins.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thickness of about 3mm. 

  

6. Using your chosen cookie cutter, punch out the an equal number of dough and place on a lined baking sheet. Then using a smaller cookie cutter, punch out design on half of the dough.

7. Bake for about 15-20 mins till the biscuits are just golden. Cool completely on wired rack.

8. When cooled, sandwiched the biscuits with your choice of jam.

Thoughts: While almond meal is not a usual ingredient in traditional shortbread, I like that it lends a subtle nutty flavor to the finished biscuits. You may choose to replace it with flour if not readily available. 

You have to work fast when handling the dough because it "melts" pretty fast, especially in a warm environment. Otherwise, it will be better to work in batches, keeping the remaining dough in the fridge. I'm slow when it comes to delicate work, so I just stash them in the fridge till I'm ready to use them. 

Depending on how "wet" your jam is, it is normal for the biscuits to soften slightly after a day. I find them more enjoyable that way, with the biscuits absorbing some of the jam's flavor. It went really well with a cup of earl grey tea. No wonder it remained popular in UK after so many years!

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