New recipe: Coconut Jam Drops

Now, I like a good plain biscuit almost as much as I do a plain cake, and jam drops would have to be one of the finest plain biscuits around. They were one of the first biscuits that I learnt to bake – and if any biscuits were designed to be made by children, it would have to be jam drops! For they are positively clamouring to be shaped by eager little hands and enthusiastically poked at to make way for a (slightly too big) spoonful of jam. What they lack in finesse they surely make up for in charm? 

SERVES 24

INGREDIENTS

125 g unsalted butter, softened
55 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
110 g plain all-purpose flour
40 g cornflour (cornstarch)
½ teaspoon baking powder
40 g desiccated coconut
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
160 g roast apricot jam, or plum and anise jam (recipes below), or good-quality store-bought jam

1.  In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Place the flour, cornflour, baking powder, coconut and salt in a separate bowl and use a hand whisk to combine. 2. Add to the creamed butter mixture and stir gently until a soft dough forms. Let the dough rest in the bowl somewhere cool for half an hour (in the fridge if the weather is very hot). 3. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan-forced and line two baking trays with baking paper. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls (about 2 teaspoons of dough per ball) and place on the baking trays, leaving a little space between the biscuits as they will spread while cooking. Make an indent in the centre of each biscuit using your thumb, or the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measure, and fill with a small spoonful of jam. Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until they are just starting to colour. Remove the trays from the oven and top up the jam in each biscuit with another little spoonful. Return to the oven for a further 3–5 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the jam has spread.

2.  Remove the trays from the oven. Cool the biscuits on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

3.  Store any left-over biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. The biscuits may soften but can be crisped by baking again for 10 minutes at 150°C fan-forced. 

ROAST APRICOT JAM 

Makes 1 ½ Kg

INGREDIENTS

1.5 kg apricots
750 g caster sugar
80 ml lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced.

2.  Wash the apricots and cut them in half, discarding the pits. Cut each half in half again and place in a large, deep baking tray. Add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean and seeds (or paste), along with 60 ml of water and mix well.

3.  Spread the apricot pieces out into an even layer and place the tray in the preheated oven to cook for 25 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling around the edges.

4.  Carefully take the tray out of the oven and gently mash the apricots with a fork or potato masher. Return the tray to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes, before carefully stirring and mashing the mixture again.

5.  Return the jam to the oven for a final 10-15 minutes, or until the jam is thick, fragrant and bubbling. Watch the jam carefully during the final two stints in the oven, as it tends to bubble over if it gets too hot. Open the oven door and give the jam a little stir if it’s looking like it might bubble over, or take the tray out of the oven a few minutes early if it looks like it is ready. 6. When the jam is cooked, carefully remove the tray from the oven and give it a final little mash with a fork. Ladle the jam into sterilised jars and seal while hot.

6.  Unopened jam will keep for up to 3 months in a cool place. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use within a month. This jam also makes a wonderful gift – if you can bear to part with it!

PLUM & STAR ANISE JAM  

Makes 1 ⅓ Kg
 

INGREDIENTS

1 kg plums (I like to use small red plums)
650 g caster sugar
125 ml lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
4 star anise

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Wash the plums and cut them into quarters, discarding the pits. Place the plum quarters in a large, deep baking tray and add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean and seeds (or paste) and star anise. Mix well, then spread the plums out in an even layer.

2.  Place the tray in the preheated oven to cook for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the mixture is bubbling around the edges. Carefully take the tray out of the oven and gently mash the plums with a fork or potato masher.

3.  Re-turn the tray to the oven and cook for a further 20–25 minutes, carefully stirring the mixture once or twice during the cooking time, until thick and bubbling. Watch the jam care-fully when nearing the end of the cooking time, as it can bubble over if it gets too hot.

4.  Open the oven door and give the jam a little stir if it’s looking like it might bubble over, or take the tray out of the oven a few minutes early if it is nicely thickened. When the jam is cooked, carefully remove the tray from the oven. Give the fruit another mash, then ladle into sterilised jars and seal while hot.

5.  Unopened jam will keep for up to 3 months in a cool place. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and use within a month. Make sure to remove any star anise pieces before using the jam in any recipes.

Recipes extracted from Handfuls of Sunshine by Tilly Pamment, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $45.