Thursday, August 12, 2010

Jam Sandwich biscuits



The cover page of the book I have, sports a tea spread featuring these biscuits. Just as in all cookbooks the presentation would lead you to the page looking for the recipe. For the simple reason they are catagorised under rolled and cut cookies, I have been looking at the picture and shutting the book with a sigh. I think that rolling and cutting is a daunting task. The other reason was that the list of ingredients includes one small egg white. Until I read many blogs giving substitutes for eggs, I have not read the recipe past the ingredients list.

With the newly found knowledge of egg substitutes my interest in this recipe was rekindled. And Lo!!! the egg white is only for brushing the top of the cookies! now HOWZZAT, for such ignorance? I own this book for over 10 years now :(

Anyway, finally I read the recipe, then again for a confirmation and again with the zeal of trying it out. Now you see that I have successfully tried them out.
The recipe has been adapted from, of course, my only baking guide, Cookies Galore by Betty Saw. I halved the ingredients, and went one step further to bake a few minutes again after sandwiching the jam.
The hurdle was that my cookie cutter was not of desired size, I tried with lot many stuff I could think of, which did not work. So no floral pattern. I have skipped the egg wash which would otherwise add a shine to the top.
The day I baked they were soft, to the point that I thought they would break and the jam was oozing. But they were deliciously right by the next day and the jam was as chewy as in the jim jam biscuits we buy in India. However, I would like to reduce the butter and try with a better quality custard powder next time.

To quote Betty Saw,
"these are so buttery and deliciously short, that you will wonder why you ever bought them. They taste wonderful even without jam"
Unquote.

The recipe:
Rolled and cut cookies/ 45 minutes preparation time/ 15 minutes baking time.
Makes 34

Ingredients:
240 grams self raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
120 grams custard powder
250 grams butter at room temperature
180 grams icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
Ready to use jam, any flavour

Method:
Line the baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and custard powder.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the sugar, vanilla essence and the butter at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Stir the sifted dry ingredients and beat on lowest speed until they are blended well.
Roll out the dough between two plastic sheets to 0.75 cm thickness.
Chill this rolled out dough for 30 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 175 Degrees Centigrade/ 345 Degrees Farenheit.
Using a 2" floral cookie cutter, cut out shapes of the dough. From one half of the shaped discs scoop out the centre making a hallow there. Place on prepared trays.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove and cool on wire racks.
Place a small ball of jam over the whole cookie and cover with the ones with the hallowed centres.
Cool and store them in cookie jars.

The recipe as given in the book stops with this step.
I put the sandwiched cookies on the tray and baked them for a further 7 minutes at 170 degrees Centigrade.


Serve these very delicious biscuits with tea. The scooped out centres could be rolled out into cookies as well. I simply made some floral cookies with those tiny scoops of dough.

These are off to Ruchika cooks who is hosting the current session of Baking from a book.

26 comments:

  1. Hi Lata,

    Just love your jam biscuits... jam jam jammy.... yum yum yummyyyyy...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely Lataji!!!Missing my Oven very badly!!!Pona vudane aathukarar kavanikarane-oh illayo, Oven kandipa Kavanipen!!! hope my hubby doesn't read this comment :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Akila! @ Priya,I am sure he will not be sitting trying to read my blogpost of all things:)Even if so, bake these for him and pacify!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Woww.. lovely recipe.. looks too good and beautiful.. awesome !!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Greattt recipe and jam biscuits looks yummooo!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very tempting........ I love this in my childhood days.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lo perfectly and temptingly baked biscuits to have with tea.

    ReplyDelete
  8. thats a grt idea of making these delciious biscuits really delicious and yummy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yum...what i really love about the ones you get n chottu bakeries is the chewy jam part!!! I love them!!!
    Yours could be easily mistaken for professional ones!!!

    Shobha

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow..they look just perfect..perfect tea time snack..

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow wow wow.. I'm drooling here :) this looks yummy and jammy :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks all of you:)
    Shobs...if I were to show you the picture from the book, you will know how sadly they have been duplicated:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. love those cute jam sanwiched biscuits..

    ReplyDelete
  14. Perfect jam biscuits. I always love the jim jam of Britannia and a must buy whenever I go to Chennai. You have explained so well and thanks for the same. Absolutely jammy :):)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hello mam, i missed ur idiyappam post.it looks too gud.Still i suck in making thread like idiyappam..this jam biscuit looks so nice & now i worry why i dont have a better microwave to bake these stuffs :( Will buy soon and try all these :) Thnx .have bookmarked !!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks crispy and cute. Must make them soon.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi hi it happens to me also, i have some books and it is years after i find out there is a recipe in it which i have been looking for long.
    I love biscuits like this looks so so yumm. I am addicted to biscuits and cookies :-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think I rarely cook looking at the recipes from the book I own,I would be making more things from the books I borrow from library :-)
    I love biscuits and enjoy both eating and baking them. These are so cute

    ReplyDelete
  19. sooooooooooooooper aunty ! :D you simply ROCK! :D cheers

    ReplyDelete
  20. delicious cookies..great try with wonderful result..Am your happy follower now..:)
    Do drop in at my space sometime..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yummy yummy jam biscuits, i am asking my hubby to buy an oven, after that i will try this.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Pass me the plate over here saves me from baking something for them!!, I will pass it on to my kids and H, who will just gobble them up, they look so yummy!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can imagine how you must have felt..I too have quite a few with eggs..but I am yet to learn the art of substitution!..:))..will try this sometime..thanks for sharing..

    ReplyDelete

Hello,
Welcome and thank you for taking time to drop by.
I appreciate your valuable comments and tips.
I sincerely hope to improve with them.
Hope we shall interact often.
Thanks once again,
Lata Raja.