One thing Britain rightfully take pride in is our biscuits – nothing beats a British biscuit! When a Brit says “biscuit” we mean a cookie.
Jammie Dodgers are a national favourite, if your mum bought a pack of Jammie Dodgers with the weekly shop you knew you were in for a treat at lunch time! As a student at university they were my essay fuel – you can’t write a good paper without some classic British biscuit fuel, that would be madness. Jammie Dodgers are shortbread with a raspberry jam filling, and a cute little heart cutout so you could see that delicious sweet treat waiting for you! There are many varieties today, but nothing beats the classic combination. 
This is not an exact replica of the beloved biscuit of course, in fact it’s better (gasp!). The shortbread is much softer, so much more buttery and, of course, has that delicious homemade taste you won’t get with a mass produced biscuit. I picked up a few pounds of strawberries from the local market recently and made amazing jam, so it was only right that I used that delicious homemade jam in my homemade jammie dodgers – the classic jam flavour for jammie dodgers is raspberry, but the strawberry works amazingly well. Every part of it is homemade but it’s still incredibly simple – anybody can make it at home. Of course, you’re free to use store bought jam if you’d like – just make sure to use a good quality one, the taste is so important in these cookies!
Find the recipe for the homemade strawberry jam here.
PrintJammie Dodger — The British Linzer
- Yield: About 20 sandwich cookies 1x
Description
This buttery shortbread sandwich is Britain’s answer to the Linzer cookie. Fill with homemade strawberry jam for a beautiful and delicious sweet.
Ingredients
For the strawberry jam
- 500 g (about 4 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the shortbread
- 250 g (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 120 g (4.2 oz) icing sugar (confectioners/powdered), plus more for dusting the surface
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 350 g (12.3 oz) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) cornflour
- 30 g (1 oz) white sugar
Instructions
For the strawberry jam
- Put the hulled and quartered strawberries in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, water, and lemon juice and mix to combine.
- Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil for 5 minutes. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for approximately 1 hour, until the mixture reaches a temperature of 105°C / 220°F.
- While still hot, pour into warm, sterilised jars. Tighten the lids and leave to cool overnight.
To make the shortbread
- Beat the butter and icing sugar together using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, until fluffy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg yolk and beat to combine.
- Sift in the flours and mix by hand with a wooden spoon until combined. Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 370°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust your worktop with icing sugar and roll out the cookie dough to 3 mm thick. Use a fluted 5 cm cookie cutter to cut out circles. Use a small round cutter (or heart-shaped if you have one) to cut out the centre of half the cookies — the wide end of a piping nozzle works well for this. It’s up to you how big to make the hole.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and sprinkle with the white sugar while still warm.
- When cooled, spread ½ tablespoon of jam on the cookies without a hole, and sandwich with one of the cut-out cookies. Repeat with all cookies.
Notes
Raspberry jam is the classic filling, but homemade strawberry works beautifully. Store-bought jam is a perfectly fine shortcut — just use a good-quality one, as the flavour really matters here. The dough must be chilled before rolling or it will be too soft to handle.
- Category: Dessert, Baking
- Cuisine: British
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought jam for the Jammie Dodgers?
Yes, you can use store-bought jam, but it’s important to choose a high-quality one to ensure the flavor complements the shortbread.
How can I achieve a softer shortbread for my Jammie Dodgers?
To achieve a softer shortbread, make sure to use a good amount of butter and avoid overmixing the dough.
What type of jam is traditionally used in Jammie Dodgers?
The classic flavor for Jammie Dodgers is raspberry jam, but using homemade strawberry jam works exceptionally well too.
