Pammy’s Jammy Dodgers

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Pammy’s Jammy Dodgers

February 3, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I love…

Pete’s raspberry jam…

Doctor Who…

and Pam Corbin’s recipes!

So when Pam the Jam’s latest cookbook finally arrived from Amazon, this had to be first recipe I tried. After all, they’re the Doctor’s favourite snack, and you never know when he might pop by for a visit.

The shortbread recipe was a doddle to make in the food processor, although the rolling and cutting was fiddly, as the dough softened quickly when worked. I had to keep popping it into the fridge to firm up, so the whole process took a bit of time.

It’s definitely worth the effort though, as the dodgers are crumbly tender and absolutely delicious. It was a great use of Pete’s raspberry jam and blood plum preserves, and the cut-outs made the cutest baby shortbreads…

Pam Corbin’s Jammy Dodgers
(from her fabulous new cookbook Cakes)

175g (6.15oz) plain flour
pinch of sea salt
75g (2.65oz) pure icing sugar, sifted
125g (4.4oz) unsalted butter (cold, and cut into pieces)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)
raspberry or plum jam (or any other thick jam)

Note: These quantities are enough for 6 – 7 jam-filled dodgers. As I have a very large food processor, I usually make a double batch.

1. In the bowl of a large food processor, blitz together the flour, salt and icing sugar. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and vanilla, then add it to the food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a ball of dough. Scrape the dough into a plastic bag and refrigerate until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) or 150C (300F) with fan. Working with small portions of cold dough, roll the mixture out between two sheets of parchment to approximately 4mm (0.16″) thickness. Remove the top sheet and using a medium sized cookie cutter, cut out an equal number of biscuits. Then using a mini cutter, remove the centres of half of them.

4. Lay the slices on a parchment lined tray and bake for 15 minutes until just firm and barely coloured. Remove the tray from the oven and dollop a teaspoon of jam into the centre of each whole biscuit. Top with the cut-out rounds and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or so until light golden brown. Allow the dodgers to rest on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely – as the jam cools, the two halves will stick together quite firmly.

The second time I made these, I tried an alternative method for cutting out the cookies, and found it much simpler.

Start by shaping the dough into a thick log, wrap it in clingfilm and allow it to firm up in the fridge…

With a sharp, thin knife, slice the dough into 4mm discs…

Then simply cut the desired shape with cookie cutters…

A tray of Jammy Dodgers, ready for the Doctor’s visit!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Doctor Who jammie dodgers, jammy dodgers, Pam Corbin's Cakes | 70 Comments

70 Responses

on February 3, 2012 at 12:12 am Tes

Wow those dodgers are so lovely. They looks so fresh and delicious. My son will really love those adorable shapes :)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:32 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Tes! It’s a very nice, simple shortbread dough – my mum prefers them plain, and the baby ones were a big hit at Chinese New Year! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 12:16 am ceciliag

How glorious. They are delightful and I see what you mean about the cut outs. I love any recipe I can make in the food processer. Things speed right up! thank you celia.. c
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:33 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Celi, I so desperately need a new food processor – my old one has to be operated with a chopstick. But I just can’t bring myself to spend the money while the old one still works.. :)
  - on February 4, 2012 at 2:31 pm Jessica
    
    This made me laugh because I am the same, we put up with a 30yo TV for ages because it still worked and my food processer drives me a little crazy and I m hoping it will die soon but it still keeps going and going. Isn’t it always the way! Hopefully some nice large company who wants an honest opinion will gladly donate one to you!
    - on February 4, 2012 at 4:22 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
      
      Jessica, you’re very kind, but I couldn’t take a freebie anyway (contra to my blog principles). But I just wish the darn thing would cark it, then I could go out and buy a new one. Having said that, there are so many options, and the big ones are all so expensive!
on February 3, 2012 at 12:46 am Misk Cooks

Oh, how beautiful. Like little jewels. :)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:34 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Misk! They were really pretty, and it was a wonderful excuse to bring out my old crystal plates…
on February 3, 2012 at 1:29 am Amanda

Lovely looking treats, Celia and an excellent idea to help with the cutting of the shapes. I adore anything with red jam, too ….
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:35 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Amanda, thank you! Pete makes the best jams, there was a vigorous discussion over whether the plum or the raspberry dodgers were better.. :)
on February 3, 2012 at 2:50 am Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

No spoilers on Dr. Who! I can’t wait to start catching up to the new season. We saw the Christmas special, the most recent one. Oh goody. Oh and the cookies, they look awesome.
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:39 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  No spoilers, I promise, although we’re only as far along as you are. Am I allowed to mention the stuff Steven Moffat blabs on his tweets? Like when he was asked what the Doctor actually said to River in the final episode…he replied: “if you watch it again, it’s fairly clear he says ‘I just undid one of your buttons’ “. :D
on February 3, 2012 at 3:08 am cravesadventure

I love making decorative cookies just something relaxing and creative that comes over me:) These look beautiful – thanks for sharing!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! I’m not usually very creative with decorating – this is very advanced for me! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 5:01 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Love these, Celia. If the doctor is coming to your place, I’m on my way!!!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Of course, Lizzy! That’s why I made a double batch.. ;-)
on February 3, 2012 at 5:19 am hotlyspiced

They look gorgeous Celia. What perfect little ‘dodgers’. I bet they didn’t last long – they wouldn’t in this house!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Charlie, they were gone in a flash. I have to take photos straight away in this house! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 5:32 am heidiannie

They are bright and pretty!
A cup of tea and two dodgers- a heart and a star, please.
Thank you.
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:44 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Of course, Heidi! A most appropriate request, as you are a star, with one of the biggest hearts ever! :) xx
on February 3, 2012 at 7:15 am InTolerant Chef

I’m so glad you found an easier way to shape these, icing sugar always makes a very soft dough. Full points for ingenuity, creativity and tasteability! :)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:45 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Becca, thanks for letting me know that, I thought it was just my hot hands or something. I’m pretty good at slicing evenly these days, but I’ll be buggered if I can roll something out flat. ;-)
on February 3, 2012 at 7:20 am cityhippyfarmgirl

“mama, make them!!!”…Monkey Boy.
I have my instructions.
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:46 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Gorgeous kid you’ve got there, Brydie! And the necessary cutters to make these, which I know from your most recent post!
  
  http://cityhippyfarmgirl.com/2012/01/26/chocolate-immunity/
  
  PS. I found cherries at the markets today! :)
  - on February 5, 2012 at 12:52 pm cityhippyfarmgirl
    
    I do like those cutters… they make me feel far more professional :-)
    Enjoy the last of the cherries.
on February 3, 2012 at 8:40 am teawithhazel

love a jam bikkie with a cuppa..i don’t have raspberry jam but i reckon these would be ok with my apricot and amaretto jam! :)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:46 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jane, I reckon they’d be perfect with your apricot jam!! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 10:15 am Pam

Jammy Dodgers remind me of my childhood. I’ll be sure to make a batch of these and take them round to my mum :)

I’m pretty new to this blogging thing and not sure how to get the word out, but I’ve started a blog. Hopefully the website links to this post. Check it out when you’ve got a minute.
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:47 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Pam, yep, the link is working, and congratulations on the new blog! Very exciting! :)
  
  http://growbakerun.blogspot.com.au/
on February 3, 2012 at 3:06 pm Lucy @ Lucyeats

We call them shrewsberrys here in NZ and my boyfriend absolutely adores them. I’ll definitely be filing this recipe away for a baking day!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:48 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Shrewsberrys! What an unusual name, thanks for letting us know, Lucy!
on February 3, 2012 at 4:46 pm tania@mykitchenstories

Oh they are wonderful. Im making them for sure. Will take a picture and show you
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:48 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Tania, thank you, that would be great! Hope you like them as much as we did!
on February 3, 2012 at 5:00 pm Marilyn

Your Dodgers are very Artful and I love the little confetti bits. I bet they taste best of all.

Maz

(And when the Boy got dressed up for the Winter Formal, he informed me that bow ties were col. And I had to agree.)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  When I took a plate to my mum’s place for Chinese New Year, all the babies were eaten first! And I agree, bow ties are cool! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 5:00 pm Marilyn

That is, I mean to say… cool… but you knew that. :-)
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Or, as my son says, “kewl”… ;-)
  - on February 4, 2012 at 4:59 am Marilyn
    
    Ha ha ha!
on February 3, 2012 at 5:06 pm Tandy

I use the second method of cutting often :) lovely biscuits and I love the cut outs!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:50 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Tandy, it’s so much easier, isn’t it? Can’t wait to see what you’ve been doing with your cutters! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm Jane @ Shady Baker

They are perfect! Yum!
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:50 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jane, thank you! I was really chuffed with them…
on February 3, 2012 at 7:31 pm Anne

Love the fact that you can roll out dough evenly Celia! it looks fantastic.
- on February 3, 2012 at 8:52 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Anne, I’m sure you meant to say “can’t roll dough evenly”, because I really can’t. I’ve told Pete I need to try with a long skinny rolling pin, maybe that will work. Even though my rolling pin isn’t tapered, I still seem to get a thin edge every time. But as I said above, I’m getting quite good at cutting an even slice! :)
on February 3, 2012 at 11:09 pm Melanie

Lovely cookies!! I need to get me some mini cookie cutters so I can me some of these kinds of cookies. They look so yummy. Great idea to shape into log and then slice the dough. Goes much quicker I’m sure & that way dough doesn’t have time to soften as much.
- on February 4, 2012 at 4:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Melanie, it’s much easier slicing and cutting, although you’ve got to make sure the roll is fat enough to start with.. :)
on February 3, 2012 at 11:13 pm promenadeplantings

Wow home made jammy dodgers, that is so cool!
- on February 4, 2012 at 4:19 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I’ve never seen the packaged version here, so it must be a UK speciality! :)
on February 4, 2012 at 6:12 am frugalfeeding

Amazing! A British classic. I adore seeing food that is usually reserved for the commercial sector made at home! I really need to give something like this a go myself.
- on February 4, 2012 at 4:19 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I hope you like it – they were fun to make, and pretty easy in the food processor. Pam Corbin’s book is full of treasure.. :)
on February 4, 2012 at 8:11 am Norma

Anything with jam…these are perfect….
- on February 4, 2012 at 4:20 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Norma! They were very popular, I’ll have to make some more! :)
on February 4, 2012 at 6:13 pm Joanna

I thought I left a comment! Anyway here goes :)
1. Beautiful ! 2. Now i want to make them, love the little cut outs, will have to go and look for a cutter, I have nothing that does that. 3. Will need apricot jam for the allergic one. 4. Wondering about the origin of name? Think could be related to the Dickens character The Artful Dodger? Do you use the phrase jammy dodger like we do? I can see, why it is the doctor’s favourite biccie! I think if he turned up at your house he’d go wandering nae more xx
- on February 4, 2012 at 6:36 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! You can buy sets of cutters – my little all in one cutter is great, but I just made the heart and star shaped ones with separate large and small ones. And I’d never heard the name before now – not something we have here – oh, and on Doctor Who. :)
  
  There’s even a bit about the Doctor on the Jammie Dodgers wiki entry! :)
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammie_Dodgers
  - on February 5, 2012 at 9:57 am Joanna
    
    My take on it is : A ‘Jammie dodger’ in Brit slang is someone who wheels and deals, gets around, gets admired for being a bit cheeky, smart, streetwise, and generally something like the dear Doctor. Sometimes we simply say ‘that’s a bit jammy’ sort of thing you might say to someone who wrote a letter to a celeb and got taken out to dinner by them, or just had some good fortune that makes you a little bit envious. Jam being a luxury and a treat in days gone by. My grandparents would say sometimes, you can have bread and butter or bread and jam but not both. So the jam in the dodger is the extra bit, when I was a kid you would split the biscuit and save the half with the jam on till last , something like ‘icing on cake’. Though which came first, the biscuit name or the slang use I don’t know.
    - on February 6, 2012 at 5:55 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
      
      That’s fantastic, thanks Jo. I reckon the slang came first, what do you think?
- on February 16, 2012 at 7:01 am Lucas @ CoverVersions.tv
  
  You can just used a circle cutter & a thimble!
  - on February 16, 2012 at 12:19 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
    
    Ah yes, but where does one buy a thimble these days? :)
on February 5, 2012 at 8:39 am Lil

YUM!
- on February 5, 2012 at 8:49 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I’d have sent some around, but mum said no.. :)
on February 5, 2012 at 10:02 am Joanna

Just had another thought. Jam is sticky, so if you ‘dodge’ it, you are winning and getting out a sticky situation… I reckon that could be it, hence this Doctor’s biscuit of choice ;)
- on February 6, 2012 at 5:55 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Well, it certainly fits him.. ;-)
on February 6, 2012 at 2:33 am Choclette

Oh Celia, have you only just got hold of her book? Isn’t it fabulous. Although since getting Short & Sweet, it’s taken a bit of a back seat. Maybe it will be resurrected again with these amazing looking jammy dodgers – mmm! I’m doing a little cake cafe event for our local bookshop later this year and am now thinking – jammy dodgers MUST be included!
- on February 6, 2012 at 5:56 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Choc, yes, I only just recently got the book, and (forgive me, Dan), I think I like it a bit better than S & T. As with her Preserves book, it has a very elegant simplicity to it. The cake event sounds like fun! :)
on February 7, 2012 at 1:56 pm Kathryn

Some ridiculously charming and tasty sounding tidbits.
- on February 8, 2012 at 9:01 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Kathryn! :)
on February 7, 2012 at 9:54 pm Kavey

I’m a philistine but I love the type with cream AND jam!
That said, these really do look FINE!
- on February 8, 2012 at 9:02 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Kavey love, no-one could ever call you a Philistine!! :)
on February 16, 2012 at 7:11 am Lucas @ CoverVersions.tv

These seem remarkably similar to German Spitzbub’n, but with a shortbread base rather than an almond & hazelnut dough. Verra nice!
- on February 16, 2012 at 12:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Lucas! I can see a nut dough being very nice – bit like a linzer cookie!