Growing up, my mother always made these soft, jam filled biscuits at every special occasion. She'd bake dozens- all of which would be cleared off the plate in a matter of hours- and guide my siblings and I patiently, as we filled their golden centres with jam, homemade of course. Only for this particular recipe and convenience sake, I used regular store bought, strawberry preserve. These sweet treats have always been a symbol of love in my family, so what better time to make them than Valentines Day?
This is a quick and easy recipe that takes only 20-30 minutes at most to make, and yields at least 30 medium sized cookies.
P.S They are Dairy Free, Nut Free and Vegan, so friendly to most dietary requirements. Gluten Free Flours can be used in replacement for equal measure.
For the sugar cookie:
1 Cup Softened Margarine
1 Tin Coconut Condensed Milk
2 Cups Self Raising Flour
2 Cups Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Jam of Choice
Once you have lined your baking trays and preheated the oven to 180°C, simply cream together the margarine with the condensed milk and lemon zest. In the same mixing bowl, sift in the flours, salt and baking powder, and combine your batter until it forms a soft dough. Let the dough sit in the fridge to set, while you prepare your bench for rolling.
I used two different sizes of heart shaped cutters. The larger one being the base of the cookie and the top outer layer, while the smaller cutter forms the inner centre for the jam to spread evenly within. Be sure to save your inner cookie cut outs on an accompanying tray, and bake your cookies for 12-15 minutes, until your biscuit crusts are golden, and the jam has set to a glass-like, sugar glaze!
Similar to shortbread, you can enjoy these biscuits plain, without the jam, alongside a warm cup of tea.