Jammie Dodgers

Obviously, there are some things that are best left shop bought. It’s probably unwise to attempt a batch of Jaffa Cakes, for example, because however delicious your attempt may turn out, it’s never going to be quite like that orange and blue brand we love. I think I’ve got round that problem, in this case, by attempting to distance these from the supermarket variety. This is the artisan equivalent. Or craft, or whatever silly word we use for something we can’t otherwise justify selling for quite so high a price. These would happily sit next to flat white for £2 a pop.

Joking aside, this is actually a very good biscuit indeed. It uses my favourite hybrid biscuit dough – this can be rolled and cut into any shape to make custard creams, jammie dodgers, nice biscuits and empire biscuits. Of all these, jammie dodgers were my childhood favourites. I ate so many that this biscuit was my nickname between the ages of 8 and 11.

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 170c/150c fan/gas 3. You’ll need one large or two small baking trays – there’s no need to grease them, but line them with sheets of baking paper (non-stick grease proof paper). 

Step 2

If you need to, soften your butter in the microwave. Mix this, in a large bowl, with your sugar, egg yolk and vanilla, until just-smooth. You don’t want it light and fluffy. 

Step 3

Add your flour and mix with a stiff spoon until it becomes a dough. Don’t knead or whisk it, whatever you do. Wrap this in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 15 minutes, but preferably overnight. 

Step 4

Sprinkle some plain flour on a work surface and plonk your unwrapped and rested dough on top. Add more flour and then roll it into a big sheet. Keep it moving add more flour to stop it sticking. You want it the thickness of a £1 coin. 

Step 5

Using a large round cutter, cut out rounds of the biscuit dough and place these on your trays. Once you’ve cut out all you can, gather your scraps of dough and re-roll to make more biscuits. 

Step 6

Once you’ve got all the rounds you can make, use a piping nozzle or a drinks bottle cap to cut smaller holes out of the middle of exactly half of your biscuits. Obviously, you need to see the jam inside. 

Step 7

Bake your biscuits for 15-20 minutes, or until they are just starting to blush golden brown at the sides. Even if they’re still soft straight out the oven, they’ll crisp up as they cool. Cooling can be done on the tray. 

Step 8

Once cool, spread your unperforated biscuit with copious jam, and then place the holey one on top. They’ll keep for a solid week if stored cool in an airtight container. 

TOP TIP

Almost any biscuit dough can be improved by letting it sit in the fridge overnight, before rolling and baking. This lets the gluten in the flour relax, giving a more crumbly dough. 

Enjoy!