I am certain that you will love these gluten-free Jam Shortbread Cookies.
Their elegant appearance completely belies the ease with which they are made. The buttery shortbread is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and finished delightfully with a topping of jam. They are lovely served at any time but I find them an ideal addition to my Christmas baking.
I’m particularly fond of small bites of dessert; over time you will see a number of such recipes here.
Mini desserts may be small in size but they have enormous appeal. To me, they’re an indulgent treat to enjoy without going overboard on calories. Besides, you can enjoy a greater variety if the foods are small.
If you’ve read the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” you will have learnt that French women eat bread and pastry and drink wine. They enjoy cream and butter. They enjoy it all; it’s just that they have moderate amounts. It’s all about portion control. So, using this strategy, it is possible to have your cake and eat it too!
Not only is this buttery shortbread irresistibly delicious, but it is also easily prepared. There’s no blending of ingredients by hand; just put the icing/confectioners’ sugar, flours, almond meal, butter and almond essence into a food processor. Whiz just until the mixture starts to come together. It’s that simple.
The mixture is then rested in the refrigerator for a half hour before it’s rolled into small balls and placed into a mini muffin tin. With the tips of your fingers, flatten the mixture a little before baking. After baking, whilst still warm, a small indent is made in the top of the shortbread. When cooled, they are carefully turned out. And I do stress carefully. This is the most difficult part of the recipe as the Jam Shortbread Cookies are very fragile. When turned out, fill the cookie indent with a jam of your choice. I feel that good raspberry or plum jam is a perfect choice, but today I have also used Apricot Jam to give a contrasting colour. A dusting of icing sugar is the final flourish.
These lovely gluten-free shortbread cookies are enjoyed equally by those who have a restricted diet and those who don’t.
In fact, with some people, I frequently serve gluten-free food without declaring it. Do you notice that some people hear the words ”gluten-free” and automatically reject the food? They’ve clearly had a bad experience. I assure you that any gluten-free recipes I share with you will be able to be enjoyed by all of your family and friends.
When ready to serve, place the shortbread cookies on a pretty serving platter. There won’t be any judgement if they don’t all make it. 🙂 After all, you need to practice quality control! Please let me know in the comment section below if you try them. Enjoy!
Xx Alex
P.S. For another delicious sweet treat, try out my Pecan Puffs or Decadent Chocolate Brownies!
Jam Shortbreads
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Ingredients
- 70 g pure icing sugar confectioners’ sugar
- 165 g plain flour/all purpose flour I used Orgran Gluten Free Plain Flour
- 65 g corn flour check it is made from corn and not wheat
- 30 g almond meal
- 250 g butter cut into cubes
- almond essence a few drops
- extra icing sugar for dusting
- 4 tablespoon jam I used raspberry and apricot
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees C (350 F).
- I used silicone mini muffin cases that do not require greasing*. If using metal tins you will need to grease each cup well with butter.
- Sift together icing sugar and flours, add almond meal.Put in a food processor.Add cubed butter and a few drops of almond essence.
- Process until the mixture just begins to come together.
- Turn onto cling wrap, bring the dough together and form into a disc. Refrigerate for about a half hour so the mixture is easier to handle. If it is still too sticky, return to the refrigerator for a short time.
- Roll the mixture into small balls, about the size of a rounded teaspoon.*Place the small balls into the mini muffin cups, flattening the tops slightly with your fingers. If the dough is sticky, have a small bowl of flour nearby to lightly dip your finger-tips.The dough should come about ⅓ of the way up the side of the tin.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven until a light gold colour, about 12-15 minutes.Remove from the oven and, using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a small indentation in the top of each biscuit.*
- Cool in the tins. Place a clean tea towel on your bench, turn the silicone mould over and gently ease the shortbread cookies out. If using a metal mould, gently tap the mould on the bench so the shortbreads fall out. Be careful, the cookies are very fragile.*
- Once cool, put some jam in the cavity and dust with icing sugar to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Kara
These look lovely and easy to make – perfect for the Xmas fayre
Alexandra
Thanks, Kara! Enjoy 🙂
Catherine
These look wonderful! What a perfect treat to bake up for the holidays! I love shortbread cookies.
Alexandra
Thank you, Catherine! 🙂
Yeah Lifestyle
I love jam shortbreads and have just bought a cutter for making this, going to give your recipe a go
Alexandra
Awesome, I shall look forward to hearing what you think! And you don’t even need a cutter for these 🙂 Enjoy!
Alvern Bullard @ Success Unscrambled
These are so cute and indulgent. I guess they can help you eat fewer calories.
Alexandra
Thanks, Alvern! Mini desserts are a favourite of mine 🙂
Sundeep
This is something I need to try this weekend. These cookies looks so cute and I already printed the recipe on paper. Looks easy and doable.
Alexandra
That is so great! I hope you will love this recipe 🙂 Let me know after the weekend what you think 😀
Dani
I have never seen a muffin tray used for cookies before! Great idea! These cookies sounds yummy!
Alexandra
Thanks, Dani! I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Erin Haugerud
These look so good! I pinned for later too!
Alexandra
Makes me very happy, thank you so much! 🙂
Yolanda
My best friend loves shortbread but hasn’t been able to eat any wheat in a few years so I just have to make these for her. I love baking with almond meal so I just know these are going to be amazing. Great recipe!
Alexandra
Hi Yolanda! Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope both you and your best friend will love this recipe 🙂
Jen
I’m not a big baker but I feel like I could make these! They are perfect for a cookie exchange party.
Alexandra
Hi Jen! I have every faith you could made these 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
The Hungarian Brunete
Wow! These look so festive, perfect for the Holidays! P.S. I love how your recipes are so detailed with step-by-step pictures!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Jenny! I really appreciate you stopping by, and your feedback 🙂