JAMMY DODGER ANYONE?

Nothing says 'I love you' like a handmade gift. So we decided to have a go at making these cute as a button Jammy Dodgers (or to give them their official name - Coconut & Jam Hearts). They proved pretty popular here at Kiss the Moon HQ, so we thought we'd share the recipe we used. Give them a try and let us know what you think...

Coconut & Jam Hearts (recipe from Donna Hay)

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

125g  butter, chopped (at room temperature)

110g caster sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

225gms plain flour, sifted

½ tsp baking powder, sifted

40g desiccated coconut icing sugar, for dusting

160g strawberry or raspberry jam

Jammy Dodgers - made by Kiss the Moon Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F

2. In a bowl mix in the sifted flour, baking powder and coconut.

3. Cream the butter with a wooden spoon for a few seconds to soften. Add in the sugar and continue to cream them together until pale and smooth.

4. Add the beaten egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

5. Sift in the flour and baking powder and add in the coconut. Beat all the ingredients together until well combined in to a stiff dough.

6. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm (don't miss this bit out or the dough with become too soft and sticky).

7. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Use one portion at a time, keeping the other portion refrigerated cling wrapped in the refrigerator.

8. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 3mm thickness (a very light dusting of flour can help to prevent sticking if you need it)

9. Cut rounds using a 7cm round cookie cutter (if you don't have one the right size, use the top of a glass).

10. Repeat same for the other portion of dough. Using a 4cm heart shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts from the center of half the rounds.

11. Use leftover cookie dough scraps and repeat same. (NB> Biscuits  made from the scraps will be tougher than those that come out from the initial batch of rolling and cutting.)

12. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. They will still be slightly soft but will harden once cooled, so be careful not overbake or they will end up really brittle. Allow to cool.

13. Once fully cool, spread the plain round bases with your jam, dust the tops with icing sugar and then sandwich the two halves together.

14. Put the kettle on, make a cuppa and then enjoy.