Friday, May 29, 2009

Little Drops of Heaven

I have a confession . . . I love to bake. But even more than that I love to eat what I bake.

Usually I'm not really a fan of biscuits. Let's get real though, if someone puts a Tim Tam in front of me I'm not going to say no. But a home baked biscuit - now that is an entire different matter. I simply cannot get enough. Usually in our house it's double chocolate chip (which I will share another day). But this week it's Jam Drops.


Jam Drops with . . . wait for it . . . home made plum jam. Now before you go judging me as some 1950's stepford wife I totally cheated LOL. CHeck out this idiot proof recipe for super fast jam. I works equally well for any of the usual preserving fruits (I just happened to have plums that I wanted to use up). The secret is in the setting sugar.

Super Fast Jam

Crush 1kg cleaned fruit of your choice coarsely with a potato masher or blender.
Place fruit and
1kg CSR Jam Setting Sugar (1kg = 1 pack) into a large heavy based pot.
Heat mixture over low heat until sugar is dissolved – do not allow to boil.
Add
knob of butter and increase heat, to bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down).
Boil for 4 minutes only. Remove from heat, skim off any foam and test for set. To test for a set: remove pot from heat; put a small amount of jam on a chilled plate or saucer. Allow to cool and gently push a finger through this. If the surface wrinkles, the setting point has been reached. If not, return to boil and retest at 2 minute intervals.
Once you are happy with the set, bottle in *pre-sterilised jars immediately
Recipe from CSR

* I sterilise my jars by putting them in the dishwasher :)

Jam Drops
Ingredients
180g Butter Softened
1 Cup Caster Sugar
1 Egg
2 Cups Plain Flour (sifted)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Jam to Decorate

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy
Add the egg and beat well
Stir through the flower and baking powder and mix to a dough
Roll two teaspoons of the mixture into balls
Place on a tray lined with non-stick baking powder, allowing room for the biscuits to spread and flatten slightly
Press a finger into the middle of the dough to make an indent.
Fill the hole with jam
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden
Add a little more jam to the holes while the cookies are hot
Cool on wire racks
Makes 60


I love that these bickies can be made up virtually out of the pantry. Most home bakers would have this stuff hanging around.

And although 3 and 5 year olds are not known for their discerning taste, I was pleased to hear my kidlets heaping praises on these cookies like: "Mmmm, these are so good!" and "Yeah, they're the best!". BEWARE though, the kids are not the only ones that will be begging for more :) You have been warned!


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