With a special jar of jam in my fridge (youngberry jam from Bright Berry Farm in Victoria), I was looking for a recipe that would really make the jam the star of the show, or at least allow the flavour to come through and not drown it out under cakes and creams. These frangipane jam drops with almond meal were deliciously soft; the perfect conductor for an excellent jam.
These biscuits are very simple to make, the most important ingredient of course is a good quality jam. Raspberry and blackberry jams are recommended in the original recipe (from The Country Collection by The Australian Women’s Weekly) but you can use whatever appeals to you.
Ingredients:
- 125g softened butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 1 cup (120g) ground almonds/almond meal
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
- 2 heaped tablespoons of good quality jam
Preheat your oven to 180°c and line oven trays with baking paper. This recipe will make around 24 biscuits.
Beat the softened butter, vanilla extract, sugar and almond meal with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg until just combined.
Sift the flour over the batter and gently stir in.
Roll level tablespoon into small balls, lay on the prepared trays and press down gently to make a flat disc, around 1cm high by 3 or 4cm across.
Using the wooden spoon handle (or any other suitably shaped handle), make a small indentation in the biscuits about 2/3 of the depth.
Spoon jam into the indents.
Bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes until very lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely on the trays; they will continue to harden and bake.
Enjoy with a good cup of tea over a good book or spirited conversation with friends.
A Tale of Two Kitchens 