Strawberry Jam Friands

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 cup almond meal
4 eggwhites
180g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
strawberry jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup patty pan tin.
2. Combine flour, icing sugar and almond meal in a large bowl.
3. Add the eggwhites, butter and vanilla; mix to combine.
4. Spoon approx. 1-2 tablespoons of mixture into patty pan tin.
5. Drop 1/2 spoonfuls of jam into the centre of each friand.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until dark golden around the edges and firm on top.
7. Cool in tin. To serve, dust with icing sugar.

Adapted from "Apricot jam drop friands" in Donna Hay Magazine, 35, Oct/Nov 2007. p. 92.

Jam Drops

Ingredients:
180g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
raspberry jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
3. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Stir in the flour and baking powder; mix to form a dough.
5. Roll heaped tablespoons into balls and place on baking trays, leaving 2 inches between each biscuit to allow for spreading.
6. Using the end of a wooden spoon, press deep dents into each ball of dough (you may need to dip the end of the spoon into some flour to stop it from sticking to the dough).
7. Fill each indent with a 1/4 teaspoon of jam.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.

Adapted from "Spoon-dent biscuits with lemon curd" in Donna Hay Magazine, 33, June/July 2007. p. 144.

Linzer Jam Biscuits

Ingredients:
180g butter, softened
155g brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon peel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g plain flour
125g almond meal
raspberry and/or apricot jam
icing sugar

Method:
1. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar, baking powder, lemon peel, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
2. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla essence.
3. Beat in as much flour with a mixer as you can, then mix in the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
4. Mix in the almond meal until the mixture forms a dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, then chill for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
6. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness and cut out rounds (for the bottom layer) and rounds with shapes cut out of the centre (for the top layer).
7. Bake for 6--8 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the bottoms browned.
8. Cool on a rack, then assemble by spreading a layer of jam on the bottom side of a round and then placing a decorative round (dusted with icing sugar) on top.
Note: Store the biscuits unassembled, then assemble up to a few hours before serving.