JBug's Kitchen Antics: Butter and Salt Jammers

What do muffins, cupcakes and cookies have in common? Are you stumped? They're all made in the same kind of pan. I tell you no lie.

Imagine my surprise when I saw these fabulous cookies on one of my favorite blog sites "Dinner With Julie". Thanks to her, I gave these beauties a try. Never mind that she's a trusted source, but the kicker is these "Beurr et Sel Jammers" are created by Dorie Greenspan herself and I happen to adore that woman and admire her kitchen talents.

Now, picture little balls of shortbread dough pushed into the bottom of muffin tins, topped with jam and finished with a buttery salty streusel. Baked until golden, the only difficult part about making the darn things is the wait until they're barely lukewarm so you can take 'em out of the pan. I solved that little issue though. I made mine in silicone muffin forms (I can't in all conscience as a Canadian call them a pan or a tin because they're not)...and when they came out of the oven, I shoved them in the freezer for 10 minutes so they cooled PDQ and they popped out quick and easy like nobody's business. I mean why wait?

The rich and tender little morsels of buttery bliss keep beautifully in an airtight tin, given they hang around long enough. Personally, I think they rival Dorie's Apple Cake (here) for her very best ever, though you can take that with a grain of salt because I'm still working on making "all" of her other creations. I'm going to be at it for a while. Just sayin'.

Incidentally, I did what Julie suggested and instead of rolling the dough out and cutting it to fit the cups, I dropped a little morsel into the bottom of the pan and pressed it in with a floured glass. I put them in the freezer to firm up, then finished 'em with jam and streusel before they hit the oven.

If you haven't made these cookies yet, you absolutely have to give them a try. They're amazing!

Beurre et Sel Jammers from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Dorie Greenspan via Dinner with Julie)

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl of electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and stir just to combine. Form one inch balls and press into bottom of muffin tins. Freeze for 10 minutes or until very firm.

Streusel:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extra

5 tablespoons hard butter, cubed

Combine flour, sugar, salt and vanilla. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside.

To finish cookies:

Chunky jam (I used raspberry)

Preheat oven to 350. Remove muffins tins from freezer and using a teaspoon, drop a small spoonful of jam into the center of each cookie. Surround the jam with streusel crumbs leaving jam uncovered. Bake for 20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Cool in pans then remove from pan. Makes about 2 dozen.

A year ago - Baked Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Bechamel