1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup/120 g all-purpose flour
1 cup/90 g quick-cooking oats (or give your rolled oats a quick blitz in the blender)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup/240 ml jam
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, and applesauce together. Once combined, add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate.
In medium bowl, whisk the remaining dry ingredients together. Add them to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Roll the dough into 1-inch/2.5 cm balls. Start with a heaping tablespoon of dough, or use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop. Arrange the dough balls no more than 12 to a pan, so that they have some room to spread. Using the back of a melon baller or a round measuring spoon that will make fairly round indentations in the cookies, press wells for the jam into the cookies. Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into each hollow.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Cool briefly on the baking sheets and then transfer the cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.
These cookies will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, layer them in a freezer-safe container between layers of parchment and freeze.
Note: I tested these cookies with almond and sunflower seed butters and they both worked beautifully.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
This cookie works best with something that’s on the more firmly set end of the spectrum. If all you’ve got is runny jam, try cooking it down in a small saucepan before spooning it into the center of the cookie. These cookies are also a great way to finish off open jars, so survey the fridge before opening something fresh.
VEGAN JAMMY OATMEAL PECAN BAR COOKIES
MAKES 24 BARS
This is a cookie first introduced to me by my former intern, Olivia. She prefers to roll the dough into individual balls and make them into traditional thumbprint cookies. While I admit that they might look prettier that way, baking them up as a bar cookie is far less work and makes them into a viable recipe candidate for parties and potlucks. I particularly rely on this recipe when I’m asked to bring something to vegan or kosher gatherings, as it’s entirely plant-based. You can even make them gluten-free by swapping certified GF oat flour in for the whole wheat.
1½ cups/180 g pecans
1½ cups/150 g rolled oats
1½ cups/170 g whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup/140 g coconut oil
¾ cup/180 ml pure maple syrup
¾ cup/180 ml jam
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
Put the pecans and oats in the work bowl of a food processor and process until they have a grainy consistency. Add the whole wheat flour and salt and pulse to combine. Then, add the coconut oil and maple syrup and process until well combined.
Scrape the dough into a large bowl and push it into a ball with your hands. If the coconut oil didn’t integrate all the way while in the food processor, knead it in now.
Take two thirds of the dough and press it into an even layer in the bottom of a 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking pan.
Spoon the jam onto the dough and use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Crumble the remaining dough loosely on top of the jam, aiming for as even coverage as possible.
Although it won’t darken dramatically, bake until the topping has browned a bit and is set, 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool. Cut into bars and serve. Covered with plastic or foil, these will keep for up to 5 days on the counter. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Choose something that’s got a bit of a tang to it. The cookie dough is so rich that it needs something bright and acidic to balance it. Marmalades and cranberry-centric jams are both really good options.
BLUE CHEESE JAM SQUARES
MAKES 48 SMALL SQUARES
Looking for something to serve with drinks at your next party? These little sweet and savory squares should rocket to the top of your list. They’re essentially a shortbread bar cookie. However, instead of making an all-butter dough, you swap in some pungent, crumbly blue cheese. The result is a slightly salty, sophisticated take on a traditional jam bar.
1 cup/120 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
5 ounces/140 g cold, unsalted butter
3 ounces/85 g crumbled blue cheese (about ¾ cup)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup/120 ml jam
In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter, blue cheese, and pepper. Process until the dough just starts to come together and begins to form a ball. Scrape the dough out of the food processor bowl and shape into a disk. Swaddle the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 3 days. This dough can also be frozen for 3 to 4 months, if double wrapped in plastic.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line a 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper ends protruding to overhang the pan on 2 opposite sides.
Divide the dough into quarters. Set aside one of the quarter portions to use as the topping. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining three quarters of the dough into a rough sheet about ¼ inch/6 mm thick and work it into the lined baking pan.
Spread the jam evenly on top of the dough. Crumble the reserved dough into bits (or grate it with a box grater) and distribute it over the top of the jam. Bake until the top is nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
When the dough has cooled enough that moving it isn’t going to break the base, at least 30 to 45 minutes, run a knife around the edges and then lift the bars out of the pan, using the overhanging parchment. Cut into 48 small squares with a large knife or a pizza cutter. These will keep for up to 5 days on the counter in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Opt for something sweet and strongly flavored. I like these with cherry, plum, or blackberry jam. Subtler flavors have a hard time holding their own against the cheese.
SHORTBREAD BARS
MAKES 24 COOKIES
I was born into a family that loves Christmas cookies that are studded with toasted nuts, bits of chocolate, dried fruit, and lots of jam. Various versions of the Rugelach (here) are our ideal. However, I married a man who prefers basic cookies and would rather go without than eat a cookie that contains raisins. In the beginning, I tried to convince him that our cookies were delicious. Eventually, I gave up trying to change his palate and started baking batches of shortbread instead.
1 cup/225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup/150 g granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups/240 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup/120 ml jam or lemon curd
Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C. Line a 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper ends protruding to overhang the pan on 2 opposite sides.
Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl and run the mixer on low speed until it is just incorporated.
Scrape the dough onto the prepared baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan and prick it repeatedly with the tines of a fork to prevent it from rising.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is an even, golden brown.
Run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the cookie. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes so that it firms up a bit. Using the overhanging parchmen
t paper, lift the cookie out onto a cutting board. Cut into even squares while the cookies are still warm enough to be pliable. If you let them cool completely, they will shatter messily rather than giving you clean, sharp lines. Serve topped with a teaspoon of jam or lemon curd.
Once the cookies are completely cool, store them in an airtight container. They will keep for at least 1 week on the counter. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic and freeze.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
My husband likes these unadulterated, but I prefer them eaten with a dollop of lemon curd or a sticky swipe of apricot jam.
JAM-SWIRLED BROWNIES
MAKES 16 SMALL BROWNIES
I have a battered aluminum baking pan in my kitchen that once belonged to my Great-Aunt Doris. She used this pan exclusively for her brownies and my mother and her cousins still associate the sight of it with the smell of chocolate. They were all mightily disappointed the first time I used it to transport grilled vegetables to a family gathering. This recipe isn’t exactly the one Aunt Doris used to make, but with its ribbon of jam, it is equally crowd-pleasing.
½ cup/110 g unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 ounces/60 g unsweetened chocolate
1 cup/170 g semisweet chocolate chips, divided
½ cup/100 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup/60 g all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons jam
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Butter an 8-inch/20 cm square baking pan.
Using a double boiler or a stainless-steel mixing bowl positioned over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate, and ⅔ cup/110 g of the semisweet chocolate chips together. When they’re melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and let the melted chocolate cool down a bit.
Once the bowl is cool enough to touch, add the sugar and whisk to combine. Next, whisk in the first egg and then the second. Finally, add the vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Finally, stir in the reserved ⅓ cup/60 g of chocolate chips.
Scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth out the top. Gently bang the pan a few times to work out any trapped air bubbles.
To distribute the jam into the brown batter, visualize a rectangular tic-tac-toe board on top of the pan, and place a teaspoon dollop of jam in the middle of each section. Using a butter knife, swirl the jam throughout batter.
Bake the brownies until the corners begin to pull away from the pan and the edges are slightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let them cool completely before slicing.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Berry and grape preserves are my favorites here, but if you can imagine the preserve tasting good with chocolate, it should work.
PUMPKIN BUTTER CHEESECAKE BARS
MAKES 24 BARS
When my mom was growing up, Saturday was frozen cheesecake night. After dinner, my grandma would take a frozen Sara Lee cheesecake out of the deep freeze and plunk it, still frozen, on the kitchen table. The five of them would then chip away at the cake with their forks as it defrosted. When I was young, I tried to convince my mother that we should carry on the frozen cheesecake tradition. Sadly, she denied my requests, but would occasionally make these bars as a treat.
24/370 g graham crackers
½ cup/110 g melted butter
½ cup/100 g granulated sugar
1 (8-ounce/228 g) package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce/397 g) can sweetened condensed milk
1½ cups/420 ml pumpkin butter
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line a 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper ends to protrude and overhang the dish on 2 opposite sides.
Place the graham crackers into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until pulverized into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and sugar and process just until all the crumbs start to clump. Scrape the crumbs into the lined baking dish and press them into an even layer.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is fluffy. Add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. If you’re using a stand mixer, switch to the whisk attachment and beat until the cheesecake batter is entirely smooth. If you have white flecks in the batter, you’ll have white flecks in the finished bars.
Pour the batter over the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Bake until the cheesecake is set, 55 to 60 minutes. It should still wobble gently, but shouldn’t be at all liquid.
Remove from the oven, cool completely in the baking dish, and then move it to the refrigerator to chill. When you’re ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the baking dish to loosen and use the overhanging parchment to lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars and serve. Any leftover bars should be stored in the refrigerator.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Pumpkin butter makes these bars a dead ringer for pumpkin cheesecake, but they’re also delightful when made with pear or peach butter.
SWIRLED MERINGUE COOKIES
MAKES 24 COOKIES
In my father’s family, no birthday dinner is complete without Pinch Pie, a dessert constructed from a sculpted meringue shell, ice cream, sweetened strawberries, whipped cream, and toasted flaked almonds. It’s an incredibly sweet treat that I adored when I was young. While I still love the concept of Pinch Pie, I find that my tastes have changed enough in adulthood that I can’t stomach more than a few bites. Instead of giving it up entirely, I’ve taken my favorite bits (the meringue and the fruit) and turned it into a cookie.
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅔ cup/130 g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup/120 ml jam
Preheat the oven to 250°F/121°C. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Make sure your mixer bowl and whisk attachment are squeaky clean. Even a trace of oil can prevent the egg whites from inflating properly. Add the cream of tartar and turn the machine to a medium-high speed. When the whites are looking frothy and have increased in volume a little, slowly stream in the sugar as the machine continues to run. Stop the mixer once to scrape down the bowl. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla.
Continue to whip the egg whites until they reach the stiff peak stage, 4 to 5 minutes. The meringue should look very glossy, feel heavy, and should stand up proudly from the whisk.
Remove the bowl from the machine. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the jam. Don’t try to mix it in uniformly. Take care to leave some streaks of white.
Using 2 soup spoons, dollop the meringue about 1 inch/2.5 cm apart onto your lined baking sheets. You should be able to get 12 cookies onto each pan. Using your finger, swirl each cookie into a messy peak. You can also get this same effect with a piping bag, but I find that to be a lot of fuss for a simple treat.
Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, swapping the position of the pans at least once while baking. The cookies should brown around the edges and feel lighter than they did when they went into the oven. When you touch the surface of a finished cookie, it will feel smooth. If it still feels sticky or tacky, it’s not done yet. If you’ve used really fresh egg whites that have a higher moisture content, it could take as long as 1½ hours for the cookies to finish baking. The cookies won’t be as dry as commercially made meringues, but instead should have a bit of chew on the interior.
Remove the pans from the oven. The cookies will sink a little as they cool. Let the cookies cool completely. If they stick to the parchment
slightly, as they might, use a spatula. They’ll keep in an airtight container on your countertop for up to 5 days, though the texture will soften slightly over time.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
To my taste buds, this cookie demands strawberry or raspberry jam. However, for those without my strong flavor associations, just about any tasty, well-set jam will work here.
QUICK STRUDEL
MAKES 2 LARGE STRUDELS, EACH SERVING 12 TO 14
My Great-Aunt Doris made finger food the way other women garden or take tennis lessons. She was always on the hunt for a new recipe, a unique serving platter, or a source for discount Pepperidge Farm thin-sliced white bread. When she wasn’t working as a nurse or volunteering at her synagogue, you’d find her in the kitchen, cooking to fill her deep freeze. While many of her other creations have drifted into foggy memory, this strudel still regularly appears at family gatherings.
2 cups/240 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
8 ounces/225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup/240 ml sour cream
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup/240 ml jam
1½ cups/180 g chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 cup/150 g golden raisins
1 large egg
In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sour cream, and salt. Run the processor until the dough forms a ball. Spread a sheet of plastic wrap out on the countertop and scrape the dough onto the plastic. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
The Food in Jars Kitchen Page 12