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moreish cookies with jam

(3 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Marsha Gardner
Florala, AL

These lovely shortbread-like biscuits (cookies in the US) have a wonderful light texture and basically just melt in your mouth. Deliciously crisp with a tasty dab of jam in the middle, these are what the British call moreish. You cannot eat just one. I dare you to try! This cookie is from my English Great-great-grandmother. The recipe has been modified for our measurements and names of ingredients.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

An old-fashioned cookie that takes a little elbow grease, but is well worth it in the end. The dough has a very distinct almond flavor. After it bakes, the cookie is crisp and buttery with a texture is similar to a shortbread cookie. Since the cookie itself is not overly sweet, the powdered sugar and jam add just the right amount of sweetness.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 24 cookies
method Bake

Ingredients For moreish cookies with jam

  • 11 Tbsp
    powdered sugar
  • 2 c
    all-purpose flour (scant 2 cups)
  • 6 1/2 Tbsp
    corn starch
  • 1/3 c
    almond, ground
  • 1 c
    plus 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 tsp
    almond extract
  • powdered sugar for dusting
  • jam of your choice

How To Make moreish cookies with jam

Test Kitchen Tips
We found using a pastry cutter to mix in the butter was easier than by hand.
  • Preparing baking sheets while oven preheats.
    1
    Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
  • Powdered sugar, flour, corn starch, and ground almonds in a bowl.
    2
    Sift the powdered sugar, flour, and corn starch into a large bowl. Add the ground almonds and give it a good stir.
  • Cubes of butter dropped into flour.
    3
    Drop in the butter.
  • Cutting butter into the flour.
    4
    Rub the butter into the dry mixture with your fingertips until there are no visible lumps of butter.
  • Adding almond extract.
    5
    Stir in the almond extract.
  • Ready to knead the dough.
    6
    Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured board and knead it a few times to form a smooth dough.
  • Dough divided into 24 pieces.
    7
    Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (about an inch and a half in diameter).
  • Shaping the balls of dough.
    8
    Using a 3-inch smooth-edged cutter place the cutter on top of the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drop one of the balls inside and push it down to fill the ring, flattening the top slightly with your fingertips.
  • Cooking on a baking sheet.
    9
    Repeat with the remaining dough balls, placing them about 2 inches apart. You will not be able to fit all of them on one sheet, so will have to do this in two batches.
  • Making an indent in center of a partially baked cookie.
    10
    Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until they are light golden in colour. Remove them from the oven and immediately tamp down an indentation in the middle of each biscuit to hold the jam. I use the tip of a wooden spoon and make an indentation about 1/2 inch in diameter.
  • Powdered sugar and jam added to the cookie.
    11
    Let the biscuits cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. When completely cool, dust the tops with powdered sugar and add jam.
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