Jammiedodgers gained their name from the character Roger the Dodger from The Beano comics, and gained even more notoriety as an oft-requested favorite of Dr. Who as played by Matt Smith. You can purchase them pre-made by Burton's Biscuit Company in the United Kingdom, or make your own delicious version in the comfort of your own kitchen with this Jammie Dodgers recipe.
Making the Jammie Dodgers Dough
Every good cookie starts with a good dough, and these Jammie Dodgers have a great one. Not only is it easy to make, it’s also easy to handle, holds its shape while baking, and freezes beautifully if you want to save some for a later date.
You can make the dough with any nice shortbread cookie recipe, but I especially like my Jammie Dodgers dough made with butter for flavor and a bit of heavy whipping cream for smoothness and easy of handling.
I also like to spice mine up a bit. While simple shortbread or vanilla-scented doughs are perfectly lovely, it’s nice to mix things up now and then with the addition of freshly ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, or finely grated orange or lemon zest. This time around I added half a teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper for a bit of savory heat that blended beautifully with the sweet raspberry jam filling. The pepper also gave the cookies a rustic look with their flecks of black through the dough.
Once the dough is made, it benefits from a good rest in the fridge. Wrap it snugly in plastic wrap, then chill it for at least an hour and up to 24.
Take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you’re ready to start rolling and cutting. This will make the dough soft enough to roll out easily, yet firm enough to hold its shape well.
Jam Filling
The traditional filling for a Jammie Dodgers recipe is either raspberry or strawberry jam. The redness of the berry jam stands out with glistening beauty against the pale cream of the cookie. But really, any jam will work just fine. You could try apricot or peach jam as long as the fruit chunks aren’t too big. If they are, a quick whiz in the blender will make them smooth enough to spread. Pear ginger jam would be brilliant, as would cherry, blackberry, or plum. Just make sure you choose a nice thick jam, for runny preserves will spill out of the cookies and make a royal (and sticky!) mess.
Assembling Your Jammiedodgers
When you’re ready to make your jammiedodgers, roll out the dough and cut it all into 2-inch circles. I like to use a fluted cookie cutter simply because I think it looks pretty. Set half of the cookie circles on parchment-lined baking sheets; with the other half, cut a small circle out of the center of each one. I find that a screw top bottle cap works brilliantly and is just the right size. Place the rings on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake all the cookies about 10 minutes until they’re nearly done.
Remove from the oven and cool thoroughly. When cool, spread the whole circles with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam all the way to the edges, then top with a ring. Return the cookies to the hot oven for another 5 minutes, then cool until ready to serve.
Jammie Dodgers and Tea Pairings
Jammie Dodgers are so nice with nearly any kind of tea. Try our Spicy Caramel Apple Cinnamon Herbal Tea, Full Moon vanilla chai tea with butternut, or The Self Care Blend with elderberry and apricot.
If you’re looking for ideas for other cookies to serve alongside Jammie Dodgers, try our Afternoon Almond Tea Cookies, nutty and sweet Maple and Pecan Cookies, or delicate Earl Grey Butter Cookies. Jammiedodgers are also the perfect treat to bring to a cookie swap party!
Jammie Dodgers Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, cold
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Raspberry jam
Directions:
Place flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and baking powder into mixing bowl. Cut butter in pieces and cut into dry mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
In small bowl, whisk together cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into dry mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until there is no dry flour.
Turn dough onto workbench (lightly flour if necessary) and gently work the dough just until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and set in fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Dust counter with white flour and roll out dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut all the dough into circles. With half of the circles, use a clean bottle top to cut a 1/2-inch hole in the center.
Place all cookies on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Spread the bottom cookies with 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam, spreading it evenly to the edges, then top with a ring cookie. Repeat until all cookies are finished. Return to the baking sheet and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven to cool, then serve.
