Jam Tarts (Scandinavian Jam Cakes) (2024)

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I call them jam tarts, but they are called cakes in most Scandinavian baking books I own.

It's a shortbread dough pressed into muffin cups to form little tarts (or cookie cups). So the name has multiple options. Choose your own adventure.

They race head-to-head with my favorite non-traditional shortbread ever, the Hungarian Shortbread. And that is saying a lot.

So delicious; they're like the best vanilla shortbread cookie filled with raspberry jam. Or apricot, or nutella.

Why this recipe works

• Easy to make: the dough is simple as long as you have room-temperature butter. I make it with a spatula or wooden spoon, so you get the idea.
• Filling: they can be filled with almost any type of jam, paste, or spread you like. There is a Nutella version further down. Just saying.
• Make-ahead: as with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a month.
• No refrigeration: the dough needs no refrigeration. You pat it in the muffin cups directly. Fill it and into the oven it goes!

Step-by-step VIDEO

Ingredients

• Jam: I love a good raspberry jam, but others work too like apricot or plum, Nutella, or cookie butter.
• Unsalted butter.
• Cornstarch: it's an essential ingredient to achieve that smooth and crumbly texture.
• Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online.Domino powdered sugaris a very popular one.
• All-purpose flour.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
• Lemon zest.
• Sliced almonds: they cover the jam so that it doesn't dry out too much during baking, and add a wonderful crunch.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.

How to make shortbread tarts

Watch the video above for a step-by-step guide on how to make the dough.

Once the cookie dough is done, form small walnut-sized balls and press them into muffin tins. Using a small cookie scoop is a good idea to make them all the same size.

Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam to each cookie cup.

Top with sliced almonds.

See Also

Honey Taffy -- An Easy One Ingredient RecipeCranachan: A Traditional Scottish Dessert Recipe - Scottish Scran33 Vintage French Christmas Recipes Worth Trying TodayAmazing Gingerbread Man Icing Recipe Made Easy - Cake Decorist

Vintage Kitchen tip: after the jam tarts are baked, let them cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to loosen up any jam or dough that might be stuck.

Filling ideas

Since they are Scandinavian, using good raspberry jam (store-bought or homemade) is a no-brainer.

• Spreads: for the sake of research, we made a batch with Nutella. Ufff, they are fabulous! Cookie butter spread would be another wonderful holiday filling.
• Jams: I recommend using slightly acidic ones like raspberries, blackberries, apricots, sour cherries, and plums. Besides that, use any spread you love.

Topping

Sliced almonds are the best as they provide the best crunch.

I once added chopped hazelnuts to the Nutella cakes, which work well.

So use the ones you feel go better with your filling.

You can leave them without the powdered sugar on top.

The jam layer will solidify and be delicious, like wonderful jam thumbprint cookies.

Either way, you need to make them! Any way you fill them, they will end up sweet, and crunchy but soft and prove to be a crowd-pleaser. Take my word.

Kitchen notes

• Organization:read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time:keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
• Dough: it comes together easily if you have the butter at room temperature. It doesn't include an egg. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water or milk to bind it together. I made it a few times and never needed it, but I know readers who had this issue.
• Make-ahead: make the dough ahead and have it ready in the fridge. If you freeze it remember to defrost it in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. You can also freeze the dough in the pan, already patted.
• Flavorings: the lemon zest and vanilla are perfect, but you might want to change the flavor of the dough depending on the filling. Maybe orange zest and blackberry jam? Or some ground cardamom?
• Almonds: I think there is nothing like sliced almonds for that thin crunch that is hard to achieve with any other nut or if they are chopped. So, I highly suggest them.
• Storing: they keep very well at room temperature for a day. You can freeze them already baked, and well-wrapped. Defrost at room temperature uncovered and warm for a few minutes in a medium oven.
• Muffin pans:you can bake them directly in regular muffin pans like I do, or use paper liners. The latter is a good idea if you're hesitant about them being too crumbly to remove from the muffin tins.