The Easiest Christmas Cookie Ever: Jam Drops

Both of my grandmothers were wonderful cooks. As a child, I remember home made birthday and Christmas cakes, pancakes, scones and mayonnaise from scratch. But one of the recipes I loved the most was the Jam Drops my grandmother used to make at Christmas. Raspberries were in season, and she always made jars of jam for us to take home. The excess jam was used in tarts, on toast and in these delicious Jam Drops. These cookies are a tradition I gladly enjoy making every Christmas.

Ingredients to Make Jam Drops

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 125g butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons raspberry jam

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until pale and creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Sift flour and baking powder over butter mixture. Add milk and stir until just combined.
• Using 2 teaspoons of dough at a time, roll dough into balls.
• Place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Using the heel of your hand, flatten biscuits slightly. Make sure you leave a little room around each biscuit as they will spread, especially if you are like me and eyeball a lot of ingredients 🙂
• Make an indentation in the centre of each biscuit. Fill each indentation with 1/4 teaspoon jam. I use the tip of my finger to do this but a wooden spoon works well or another cylindrical object
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, swapping trays over in oven after 10 minutes, or until light golden. Allow biscuits to cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Serve with a cup of tea and a cute gingerbread man biscuit