Jammie Dodgers are another old school classic. When I was a kid I would always try and prise them open into two halves, but I never could because they were always glued together so tightly with jam as strong as super glue. We never seemed to have them at home for some reason, so I loved it when we were at someone else’s house and I could sample the super-sweet Jammie Dodger goodness! I think the bright red love heart of jam always appealed to me. It’s a simple idea, but it was an effective one to attract a little girl’s attention. They tasted sweet and crispy, with sticky jam like raspberry toffee. I remember the packaging so well too– It was bright red and yellow, with the appearance of jam oozing all over the packet. Somehow it spoke to me and I always wished we had Jammie Dodgers at home in our cupboard.
Funny, how a simple biscuit can have such appeal. These Jammie Dodgers I made here are a little more grown up. For start I used delicious award winning Irish jam which is oozing with fresh juicy berries. I also made all butter shortbreads, which really compliments the sweet, slightly tart jam. It was interesting to see people’s reaction when they saw them, that smile of recognition and that memory of childhood. These are just one of my ‘classic biscuit series’, that started with the humble custard cream. I’ll be tackling the bourbon biscuit next. As for these Jammie Dodgers, they looked and tasted divine. I think my love affair with Jammie Dodgers may have started all over again.
Here’s how:
Biscuits
– 175g softened butter
– 50g caster sugar
– 50g icing sugar
– 2 egg yolks
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 300g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
Jam Filling
– half a jar of good quality raspberry/ strawberry jam
Begin by preheating the oven to 180C . Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla in a food processor and blend until creamy. Next pour in the flour and bend until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag and leave to cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once rested, take the dough from the fridge and roll out thinly on a floured surface. As it’s a large amount of pastry, you are best to divide the pastry in half and roll out half at a time. Cut the bisuits out using a small round cutter. Use a small heart shaped cutter (must be less than half the size of the round cutter) and cut a heart shape hole in every second biscuit. If you haven’t got a heart shaped cutter, you could always use a small round shaped cutter (bottom end of a piping nozzle will also work) to cut a small round hole in the circle.
Transfer the biscuits onto the baking sheets and bake for 8-10 mins until golden. Keep a close eye on them, as mine cooked in a mere 8 minutes. Place the cooked biscuits on a wire rack to cool.
Once the biscuits are cool, spoon about 1 and half teaspoons of jam on one side, then sandwich with the other biscuit with the heart cut out. These biscuits are best served straight away, as the jam can get a bit too messy and sticky. So, it’s advisable to apply the jam just before serving.
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