Kids in the Kitchen – Jammie Dodgers

Jam (or Jammie) Dodgers are a uniquely British biscuit but there are australian equivalents such as the jam drops featured here. This is more of a short biscuit, with almond meal providing a fine and crumbly texture. The dough becomes very soft when you work with it, so you have to take care when moving the cut-out dough circles to a baking sheet, but the effort is worth it.

With school holidays now in full swing and the spring weather still unpredictable, this is the ideal recipe to get your children into the kitchen during rainy weather. I just can’t guarantee there will be any left by dinner time.

Makes 24 Dodgers

INGREDIENTS

225g butter, softened; 100g caster sugar; 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; zest half a lemon (1 tsp); 100g ground almonds; 150g strawberry or raspberry jam (about half a jar)

METHOD

Put the butter, sugar, flour, lemon zest and almonds into a food processor and process until the mixture just comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 140°C. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge and knead until it is soft enough to shape and roll. Divide into two even-size balls. Sprinkle a little plain flour on the bench top and roll out one ball of pastry to a thickness of 5mm.

Using a pastry cutter (about 6cm wide) dipped in a little flour to stop it from sticking, cut out as many shapes as you can. Lightly knead the dough trimmings together and roll out again until all the dough is cut out.

Place the circles on a baking sheet, making sure you keep them slightly apart. Roll out the second ball of dough the same way. Cut out and equal number of circles and place them on the second baking sheet. Using a very small pastry cutter (about 1 ½ cm) or the wide end of a plain piping nozzle, cut out a circle from the centre of each biscuit on the second tray.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Heat the jam for 30 seconds in the microwave and push it through a sieve to remove the seeds. Place half a teaspoon of jam onto the centre of the biscuits without the cut-out circle and swirl it around with the back of the spoon. Be generous – you want the jam to show at the edges as well as the centre. Place the top halves of the biscuits on and push down gently. If you want to, carefully drop a little more jam in the centre hole to fill it up.

These will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

COST

$6.50 for 24 filled biscuits