A couple of weeks ago, my family and I had a wonderful vacation in London. So while I know most of you see cookies, we're actually talking about biscuits today. British biscuits, that is. In general, British biscuits are what we call cookies in America, with the distinction that biscuits are of the crunchy, drier variety that's so perfect with a cup of tea!
Tea and biscuits go hand in hand. Think of the history and tradition of taking tea and you can understand the natural pairing of sweet crunchy biscuits such as shortbread. I naturally gravitate towards soft, chewy, gooey cookies but it never ceases to amaze me how good a simple biscuit is when I do have it. Tins of Royal Dansk butter cookies are part of my earliest childhood biscuit/cookie memories and growing up during the first handful of my years in Hong Kong, British foods, including biscuits, have a special place in my heart.
It's always fun to pay homage to something by making something to eat! Our trip to London was such fun - we were lucky to enjoy great weather and we soaked up the beautiful city, friendly people, and classic eats. From Sunday roast to afternoon tea, it was wonderful to be in a place so familiar, yet so different from home.
One of the best experiences I had in London was afternoon tea. My fellas and I enjoyed all the comfort and deliciousness of a true English tea experience at Fortnum & Mason (which, incidentally, is now my favorite shop in the world). Honestly, I had modest expectations (because, so often, afternoon tea looks appealing but doesn't quite match up taste-wise) but I walked away realizing that afternoon tea can not only look beautiful but also taste incredible. Everything - from savory to sweet - was delectable, enjoyed leisurely in a beautiful and comfortable setting.
While it might be fun to recreate afternoon tea at home one day, I started with a small inspiration to pay homage to afternoon tea. My son had the children's array of afternoon tea eats and among the treats on the top of his 3-tier cake stand was a Jammy (or "Jammie") Dodger, or so we were told. It was a simple shortbread sandwich biscuit (cookie) filled with jam; they're much like linzer torte cookies, minus the almond meal. Jammie Dodgers are apparently a very popular children (and adult) biscuit in the UK, made by Burton's Biscuit Co. for over 50 years. If you're wondering about the "Dodgers" part of the name, it was named after a comic strip character.
Maybe it's the catchy name but the little biscuit stuck with me and I made a small batch of them at home to enjoy with my family. These shortbread biscuits are tender and buttery, plus they melt in your mouth thanks to the powdered sugar used in the dough. Jammy Dodgers are usually filled with strawberry or raspberry jam; I filled mine with strawberry and apricot jam and breaking away with the "rules", I also sandwiched a few with Nutella for my son.
Much to everyone's surprise (particularly his own), the 11-year old truly enjoyed the formal afternoon tea experience and while he wasn't eager to attack his Jammy Dodger there (he's not a fan of fruit jams unless it's in a tri-color cookie), he was a huge fan of my at-home Nutella version. He's asked me to make more again for him soon - now I call that a successful bake!
Below is a pic of the little Jammy Dodger from my son's afternoon tea stand that inspired this. I'm glad the server told us the name of the biscuit so that it stuck with me in a fun way.
Below is a pic of the little Jammy Dodger from my son's afternoon tea stand that inspired this. I'm glad the server told us the name of the biscuit so that it stuck with me in a fun way.
Traditionally, the biscuits are cut with a heart-shape cutter for the opening but since I didn't have one in the right size, mine were cut with a flower shape. For these small-size cut outs, look for fondant cutters.
It's probably fitting that I used a recipe from Paul Hollywood because I watched quite a few hours of The Great British Bake Off on the flight home from London (the contestants always amaze me). I was a little nervous about making this dough, which is similar to preparing a sweet tart crust dough but it's actually pretty simple.
To start, rub small dices of butter (I used chilled but not super cold butter) into the flour, icing/confectioners' sugar and salt until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (British scones are often made in a similar way, by working butter into the dry ingredients to a breadcrumb texture). You don't want any large lumps in the mixture - you are looking for a rather uniform breadcrumb consistency. I've seen recipes that use either confectioners' sugar or caster (superfine granulated) sugar. Personally, I really like the silky texture powdered sugar gives shortbread cookies.
It's probably fitting that I used a recipe from Paul Hollywood because I watched quite a few hours of The Great British Bake Off on the flight home from London (the contestants always amaze me). I was a little nervous about making this dough, which is similar to preparing a sweet tart crust dough but it's actually pretty simple.
To start, rub small dices of butter (I used chilled but not super cold butter) into the flour, icing/confectioners' sugar and salt until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (British scones are often made in a similar way, by working butter into the dry ingredients to a breadcrumb texture). You don't want any large lumps in the mixture - you are looking for a rather uniform breadcrumb consistency. I've seen recipes that use either confectioners' sugar or caster (superfine granulated) sugar. Personally, I really like the silky texture powdered sugar gives shortbread cookies.
Recipe:
Jammy Dodgers
Adapted from Paul Hollywood
- For approximately twelve (2 to 2 1/2-inch round) sandwiched biscuits -
138 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
110 grams unsalted butter, cut into small dices (I used chilled but not super cold butter)
50 grams icing/confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 large egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Optional: granulated sugar, for dusting (superfine or caster sugar, if you have it)
For filling: A few spoonfuls of your preferred jam (such as strawberry, raspberry, or apricot) or Nutella
Place flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add butter and rub ingredients together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (You can start with a pastry cutter, then continue with your fingers. You are looking for a uniform breadcrumb texture, without any large lumps.) Add egg yolk and bring together to form a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead together to form a smooth ball. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
Turn chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface (you might need to let the dough sit at room temperature to soften slightly before rolling). Roll the dough out to a thickness that's between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (somewhere in the middle will do the trick). Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter, re-rolling the scraps once. Using a smaller cutter, make an opening in the center of half of the cut-outs. Place biscuits onto the prepared sheets and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Bake biscuits for 12 to 14 minutes, until they are just beginning to turn color at the edges but still pale. (If desired, remove the cookies from the oven about 2 minutes before they are done and sprinkle the top halves with sugar, then return to the oven to finish baking.) Remove from the oven, let biscuits sit on the tray a few minutes to firm up, then transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack.
Once cooled, turn the whole biscuits over upside down and top the middle of each with a dollop of jam (or other filling), spreading it slightly but not quite to the edge. Top each with a biscuit that has an opening and gently press together. Enjoy!