I’m going to preface this post by saying that Jammy Dodgers are not my favourite biscuit. The jam is super hard and too chewy and the biscuit is too soft and sweet. I would never choose to buy them, so this recipe appealed to me because it gave me a chance to try to improve on something that I think needs it.

I couldn’t decide between making a peanut butter & jelly version or a lemon sherbert version, so I made both. I actually can’t pick between the two as they are both super delicious. They’re a little complicated to make, so make a great project for when you have a leisurely afternoon to get into a baking project.

Peanut butter & jelly biscuits

Makes 25

325g plain flour
75g salted peanuts
150g caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
50g Golden Syrup
The Peanut Butter Filling
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
100g smooth peanut butter
150g icing sugar
50g Golden Syrup
150g raspberry jam

1. To make the biscuit dough add a little of the flour and the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the peanuts are finely ground. Add the remaining flour and salt and process briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. In a jug whisk together the egg, yolk and the Lyle’s Golden Syrup, whisking together until the syrup has dissolved into the egg. Pour this into the food processor and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to gently form into a uniform dough. Divide into two equal portions and press into discs, wrapping in clingfilm and then refrigerating until firm.
3. When you’re ready to roll out the cookies, preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface roll out a portion of dough until it is about 3mm thick and then using a 7cm round cookie cutter to cut as many cookies as possible, setting the scraps aside. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking trays and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat this process with the second portion of dough. Take the cookies from the fridge and use a 3cm round cookie cutter to remove the middle from half of the cookies. Gently reform the scraps of dough into a ball and then refrigerate as before whilst you bake off the cookies. This dough can be rolled out again for more cookies.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes or until just starting to turn golden on the edges. I bake the cookies lower than usual as it crisps the cookies evenly throughout without over-browning them. Allow to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To make the peanut butter filling place the butter and peanut butter into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and Lyle’s Golden Syrup along with a small pinch of salt and beat together until light and fluffy. If the mixture feels a little stiff add a tablespoon or so of double cream.
6. To assemble the cookies pipe a ring of the peanut butter filling around the edge of each base cookie and spoon a little jam into the centre. If you like a little added texture you can also sprinkle with a little extra chopped peanuts. Dust all the ring cookies with icing sugar then place one on top of each bottom cookie, sandwiching together. Once assembled the cookies are best within a day or two

Tips on Rolling

This is a dough with a high percentage of butter which can mean the dough is a little tricky to handle. To get around this, make sure the dough has been thoroughly chilled before using. When you take the dough out of the fridge it will be cold and firm and hard to roll. Instead of leaving it for 10 minutes and then rolling (which can lead to a soft and sticky dough) simply bash it a little with a rolling pin. This might seem counterintuitive but this action makes the dough pliable without warming it up too much, making it easier to roll before the butter softens too much. If you are worried about the dough becoming too sticky or warm you can also roll the dough between parchment and transfer it to the fridge if it becomes too hard to handle.

Lemon Sherbert Jammy Dodgers

Makes: 15

For the biscuit:
175g cold slightly salted butter , cubed
250g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
100g icing sugar
zest 1 lemon , plus 1-2 tsp juice
1 large egg yolk
23g pack sherbet (I used Dip Dab)
For the filling:
75g slightly salted butter , at room temperature
250g icing sugar
100g lemon curd

n a food processor, whizz the butter, flour and a pinch of salt until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and lemon zest and whizz again. Add the lemon juice and egg yolk and blend until clumps of dough form around the blades. Keep blending, using the pulse button, until larger balls of dough have formed. Tip out the mixture onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring it together in a smooth ball – don’t overwork it or it will be tough. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and pat into flat discs, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Remove the dough from the fridge 15 mins before you’re ready to roll it. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Unwrap 1 piece of dough and roll it out to the thickness of a 50p piece. Use a 6cm cutter to stamp out discs (you should get about 15) and transfer to a baking sheet using a palette knife.

Unwrap and roll out the remaining dough to the same thickness. Stamp out 15 discs and transfer to the second baking sheet. Use a small round cutter (about 1cm) or the end of a piping nozzle to stamp holes from the middle of 15 of the biscuits. Loosely cover the trays with cling film and chill for 15 mins. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Bake the biscuits for 15 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the butter, sugar and half the lemon curd in a bowl. Mash together, then blend with an electric hand whisk. Transfer to a piping bag and snip off the end, making a 1cm opening. Place the remaining lemon curd in another piping bag and snip off the end to make a slightly smaller hole. Dust a little sherbet over the biscuits with a hole in the centre.

Pipe blobs of lemon filling in a ring shape onto each whole biscuit, leaving space in the centre to fill with lemon curd. Fill the middles, then sandwich a sherbet-dusted biscuit on top of each one. Store in a biscuit tin for 3 days.