This jam drops recipe makes soft, buttery biscuits with a little pool of jam in the middle. You only need butter, sugar, an egg, flour and your favourite jam.
They’re one of the easiest biscuits to bake, and they look lovely on a plate. Here’s how to keep them neat, soft and full of jam.
Table of Contents
3 tips for the best jam drops
Use thick jam. Runny jam bubbles over and burns. If yours is thin, warm it with 1 teaspoon of chia seeds and a squeeze of lemon, then let it cool.
Chill the dough. 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge stops the biscuits spreading and keeps the wells in shape.
Don’t overbake. Take them out when the edges are just golden. The centres should still look pale.
What you need for this jam drops recipe
- Butter: use real unsalted butter at room temperature, not spread.
- Caster sugar: it mixes in easily and gives a soft crumb.
- Plain flour and baking powder: or use self-raising flour and skip the baking powder.
- Jam: raspberry or strawberry is classic. Apricot, plum and boysenberry work well too.
Jam Drops Recipe
Course: SnacksCuisine: AustralianDifficulty: Easy24
Biscuits30
minutes15
minutes160
kcalSoft, buttery vanilla biscuits with a neat well filled with glossy jam. Easy to make and they keep well for days.
Ingredients
180 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
300 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch fine salt
180 g thick raspberry or strawberry jam, stirred smooth
Optional: 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, icing sugar to dust
Directions
- Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Heat oven to 170°C fan or 180°C conventional.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, then vanilla and salt. Scrape the bowl.
- Sift flour and baking powder together and add. Mix on low until a soft dough forms with no visible flour.
- Cover and chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes until slightly firm.
- Scoop tablespoon portions, roll into balls and place on trays with space to spread. Lightly flatten the tops.
- Using the back of a floured teaspoon or your thumb, press a neat well into each dough ball.
- Fill each well with about half a teaspoon of jam. Do not overfill.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes until edges are lightly golden and the jam looks glossy. Centres should remain pale.
- Cool on trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar if you like.
Notes
- If using self-raising flour, leave out the baking powder.
- For neat edges, chill the shaped biscuits on the trays for 10 minutes before baking.
- Swap the jam for apricot, plum, blackberry or cherry. Thick jams work best.
- For mini biscuits, use teaspoon-sized balls and bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
- For gluten free, use a gluten free plain flour blend. Chill the dough and handle it gently.
- For dairy free, use a plant-based block butter.
- For a coconut twist, roll the dough balls in desiccated coconut before pressing the wells.
Jam drops troubleshooting
- Spread too much: the dough was too warm. Chill it for 30 minutes and use cool trays.
- Wells filled in: press deeper wells, use a little less jam, and chill the shaped biscuits for 10 minutes before baking.
- Jam bubbled over: the jam was too thin or you overfilled. Stick to half a teaspoon per biscuit.
- Dry biscuits: baked too long. Check them at 12 minutes.
- Dark bottoms: use a light-coloured tray or move the tray up one shelf.
Easy variations
- Lemon curd drops: use lemon curd instead of jam and add lemon zest to the dough.
- Passionfruit: warm 1/4 cup passionfruit pulp with 1 tablespoon apricot jam until thick. Cool, then use as the filling.
- Almond: swap a quarter of the flour for almond meal.
- Chocolate centre: fill with thick chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Christmas drops: use red and green jams on the same tray.
Make ahead and storage
Baked: keep in an airtight tin for 4 to 5 days.
Unbaked dough balls: freeze with the wells pressed in. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes, then fill with jam.
Baked and frozen: freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the tin.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use jam with seeds?
Yes. If you don’t like seeds, use seedless jam or push warm jam through a sieve.
Why did my jam bubble over?
The jam was too thin or the wells were overfilled. Use thick jam and half a teaspoon per biscuit.
Can I make jam drops dough ahead?
Yes. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for 2 months.
How do I keep jam drops soft?
Store them in an airtight tin. If they firm up, add a slice of bread to the tin overnight.
Can I use self-raising flour in this jam drops recipe?
Yes. Use the same amount and leave out the baking powder.
This jam drops recipe is simple, quick and always a hit. Keep a jar of thick jam in the pantry and you can bake a tray anytime.
Happy baking,
Ella x
