Jam Jams

This is a very old recipe. I think it originally came to our family via one of my Grandmothers friends. We have been making this cookie for about 50 years or more, so you know it  must be good.

Really just a butterscotch cookie with a jam filling, its pretty basic in its ingredients but complex in flavour. My family loves them especially my nephew, Arden. These are special cookies that require a bit of extra effort so I usually only make them at Christmas time.

I hope your family loves them as much as mine does.
Watch me make them on Youtube

 It really comes from basic ingredients. No chemicals in this cookie.

As with most cookie recipes, start by creaming the butter and sugar. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture becomes lighter in colour and texture. This recipe uses only brown sugar to produce a butterscotch flavour.

Add the eggs, corn syrup  and vanilla next. If the eggs are too cold the butter may become cold. Sometimes it makes the dough look curdled. Don't worry it will be fine in the end. Take the eggs out of the fridge a bit before you add them to the mixture and let them warm a little.

I think that the corn syrup is the secret ingredient in this cookie. It adds to the butterscotch flavour and keeps these cookies soft.

Combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture.
Mix on low until combined

Form the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. You can roll this dough immediately following mixing but it will be much easier to handle if you let it rest  bit.

Separate the dough into softball sized portions and roll on a floured countertop to about 1/4 inch thick

Cut the dough using any cookie cutter that you wish.  I like the small star shape as seen in the photo. The cookies with the star shape cutout will be the top cookie and the cookies without the star shape will be the bottom cookie. Remember that the cookies will be sandwiched with jam. So one cookie will become two.

Put the unbaked cookies onto an unbuttered sheet pan. Bake them at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Make sure that each top cookie has a bottom cookie.

After removing the pan from the oven, let the cookies sit for a couple of minutes. Remove them to a baking rack or, like I did, onto clean tea towels.

That's a lot of cookies. I made a double batch of dough in tis photo.

When the cookies are cooled, spread the bottom cookie with about 1 teaspoon of jam. Use really good jam, homemade if you can get it. Any red jam will do. I am using raspberry freezer jam in the photo. My favourite is chokecherry jam, sadly I had none left. I will be making some this year

Place a top cookie on the jam.

Stacks of cookies

Store the cookies in a airtight container. They freeze beautifully and I think they have a better flavour after they have been frozen.

MMMmmmm. Jam jams. Don't they look festive.

Watch me make the me on Youtube.





Jam Jams

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup of butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons corn syrup
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup of good quality jam or jelly. Red is best. I have used raspberry freezer jam in the photos.