Jam Thumbprints

As I’ve said before, baking that revolves around chocolate of some kind if often my favourite, however, as it is now Lent I have given up chocolate so until Easter I am going to endeavour to bake only chocolate-free recipes! This particular one is one of my favourites as it produces great results with not much effort. It is another one from The Great British Book of Baking and if you’ve never made ‘thumbprints’ before I think they are across between a biscuit and a cake in taste and texture.

The rubbing-in part of the method can also be done in a food processor if you’re especially short on time but if you do use your hands then don’t forget to shake the bowl to bring the big lumps to the top to ensure you don’t miss any bits! When you add the egg mixture it really won’t look enough for all the flour mixture but keep working away at it, using your hands if necessary, to bring it together as you don’t want to be too hasty adding more milk or flour.

I have to be honest, this batch I’ve made right now are probably the worst ones I’ve ever made, the one time I take pictures! The jam has spread out of their holes which isn’t supposed to happen and I must admit, I’ve not had a problem with it before. When you make them make sure you use firm set jam from the middle of the jar and not the edges (like me) to avoid them looking a bit messy!

I can tell you, however, that despite them not having the best appearance, they still taste great especially with a cup of tea.

Here is the recipe by Linda Collister:

225g self-raising flour

100g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter (diced)

1 medium egg

1 tbsp cold milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

Jam for the holes

Sugar for sprinkling at the end

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Combine the flour and the sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and rub with the tips of your fingers until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.

Beat the egg together with the milk and vanilla in a small bowl and then stir into the flour mixture using a round bladed knife to make a soft dough (I just used a normal dinner knife). If the mixture is very sticky, work in a little more flour but if there are dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, work in a little more milk.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and shape each one into a ball. Arrange them apart onto pre-greased baking trays to allow for spreading. Flour your thumb and press it gently into the middle of each bun to make a small well (don’t go all the way through the dough). With a teaspoon, put a marble-sized amount of jam into the centre of each bun.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 180°C and bake for another 5 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the buns with a little sugar. Leave them to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring tem to a wire rack to cool completely.