101 Things to do with Jam
I love making jam and it can become a bit addictive. If, like me, you enjoy making jam, you may find yourself with more jam than you know what to do with. So let us share our ideas for what to do with jam here and let's see if we can reach a total of 101 things to do with jam. If you would like to contribute an idea or recipe then please send an email
1) Toast some bread, spread it with butter then add your favourite jam.
2) Toast a hot cross bun and spread it with butter and rhubarb & ginger jam.
3) Make Jam Heart biscuits - lovely at any time of year but perfect on Valentine's day.
Jam Heart Biscuits 6 oz (175g) plain flour, 1 oz (25g) oat bran, 4 oz (110g) butter. 2 oz (55g) caster sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 egg, beaten, 2-3 oz (55-75g) jam. Mix the flour and oat bran with the butter until it is like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of milk then a little at a time until soft dough forms. Preheat the oven to 190°C and grease two baking trays. Roll out pieces of dough and use a heart-shaped cutter to cut out biscuits. Brush each biscuit with egg then cut strips of pastry and form a rim around each biscuit. Brush the biscuit again with egg. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of jam into the centre of each biscuit and roughly spread it to fill the shape. Bake
for 15 minutes until golden then cool on a wire rack.
4) Make Jam Sandwich biscuits - the homemade version of Jammy Dodgers.
Jam Sandwich Biscuits: 4 oz (110g) butter, 2 oz (55g) caster sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 oz (85g) plain flour, 2 oz (55g) wholemeal flour, 1 oz (25g) oat bran, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon jam, 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Preheat oven to 180°C, gas 4 and grease a large baking sheet. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and stir well. Add the flours, oat bran and baking powder and combine to form a soft dough. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use a round cutter to cut out biscuits. Cut a shape out of the centre of every other biscuit. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown then cool on a wire rack. In the meantime, mix together the jam and the icing sugar. Once the biscuits are cool, smear jam mixture onto every complete biscuit and stick hole biscuits on top. Repeat until all the biscuits are paired.
5) Make flapjacks - using jam instead of golden syrup.
Apple & Apricot Flapjacks: 4¾ oz (135g) margarine or butter, 5¼ oz (150g) apple & ginger jam, 8 oz (225g) oats, Pinch of salt, ¾ oz (20g) sunflower seeds, 2 oz (55g) chopped dried apricots
Preheat oven to 190°C (gas 5). In a large saucepan, gently melt the margarine or butter with the jam. Remove from the heat then add the remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture onto a small baking tray and press down with wetted fingers. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Mark out the flapjacks before allowing it to cool in the tin.Variations: Blackcurrant and raisin flapjacks – replace the apple jam with blackcurrant jam and the apricots with raisinsStrawberry and cherry flapjacks – replace the apple jam with strawberry jam and the apricots with glacé cherries.
6) Make Apple & Ginger Pastries - very quick and easy to make, especially with the kids. They don't keep very well so you'll just have to eat them all up on the same day!
Apple & Ginger Pastries: 1 block of puff pastry, 2 oz (55g) caster sugar, apple & ginger jam, egg white, Demerara sugar
Preheat oven to 220°C (gas 6). Roll out the pastry to a rectangle about 38 by 30 cm (15 by 12 inches). Cut the pastry lengthways in half. Spoon a good dollop of apple & ginger jam down the middle of the pastry. Fold the pastry over as if making a sausage roll and seal the edges with beaten egg white. Cut the roll diagonally into 5 pieces and place on a greased baking tray, with the joined edge downwards. Glaze with egg white and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Remove from the tray immediately and cool on a rack.
7) Make jam tarts
Jam Tarts: 4 oz (110g) plain flour, 4 oz (110g) wholemeal flour (or a total of 8 oz, 225 g plain flour), 4 oz (110g) butter or margarine, 4 oz (110g) caster sugar, Water, Jam
Preheat an oven to 190 °C, gas mark 5. Sift the flours into a bowl, returning any bran to the bowl. Add the fat and rub in with your fingertips until it forms a crumbly texture. Stir in the sugar. Add a few splashes of cold water to bind and knead it into dough. Flour a flat surface and roll the pastry out until about ¼ inch (½ cm thick). Use a pastry cutter to cut out circles of pastry and transfer them into foil tart cases. Place the cases into a tart tin. Place a heaped teaspoon of jam into each case then cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked and the jam is molten. Remove from the oven and top up each tart with jam whilst still hot. Cool the tarts in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Best eaten within a day or two of making but will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
8) Make Swiss rolls - not as difficult or scary as you might imagine!
Swiss Rolls: 3 eggs, 4 oz (110g) caster sugar, 3 oz (85g) plain flour, 1 tbsp boiling water, Jam
Preheat an oven to 200 °C, gas mark 6. Grease and line a 12 by 8 inch (30 by 20 cm) swiss roll tin. Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk until it is thick and mousse like and forms soft peaks. Be patient, even with an electric whisk this may take 20 minutes or more. Sift the flour over the top and fold in. Fold in the water. Spoon the mix into a tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until springy to the touch. Spread a sheet of greaseproof paper onto a flat surface and sprinkle with sugar. Turn out the cake onto this paper and carefully peel off the cooking paper. Smear with jam then carefully roll up the cake whilst still hot. Hold the cake in the rolled up position for a minute or two with the seal underneath. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, trim of the edges to neaten. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
9) Make Jam Sponge Pudding - Here's my grandma's recipe
Jam Sponge Puddings: 2 oz (55g) self-raising flour, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 oz (55g) margarine, 2 oz (55g) caster sugar, 1 egg, 2 drops vanilla essence, 2 oz (55g) jam.
Preheat oven to 170 °C, gas mark 3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the margarine, sugar, egg and vanilla essence. Mix together until it forms a creamy texture. Put 1 oz (25g) of jam into the bottom of each ramekin. Divide the batter between the 2 ramekins and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days and reheated as required. If reheating in the microwave be very careful because the jam will get very hot. Serve hot either in the ramekin or turned out with custard, cream or evaporated milk as a filling dessert.
11) Make a Victoria sandwich cake - raspberry jam is the classic jam to use for this.
Victoria Sandwich Cake: 225g (8oz) butter, 225g (8oz) caster sugar, 4 medium eggs, 225g (8oz) self-raising flour, 110g (4oz) butter, 225g (8oz) icing sugar1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 110g (4oz) raspberry or strawberry jam.
Preheat oven to 180°C, gas 4 and grease and line sandwich tins. Place the butter into a large bowl and if it is straight out of the fridge heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and cream together. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring in between additions. Sift in the flour and stir well to combine. Spoon equally into the two sandwich tins then bake for 25 minutes until springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely on a wire rack. In the meantime, mix together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla to make the butter icing. Once the cakes are cool, spread one half with the butter icing and one half with the jam then sandwich the two fillings together.
12) Make Pear & Vanilla butterfly cakes - with pear & vanilla jam.
Butterfly cakes: 90g (3.5oz) self-raising flour, 90g (3.5oz) margarine, 90g (3.5oz) caster sugar, 2 eggs, few drops of vanilla essences, Pear & Vanilla Jam.
Preheat oven to 190°C, gas 5 and put paper cases into a cupcake tin. Cream together the margarine and sugar and add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Sift in the flour and form a smooth batter. Dollop the batter into the case cakes to make 12 cakes. Bake for 15 minutes until firm and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, carefully remove a circular shape from the top of each cake. Fill the hole in the cake with jam then cut the piece of removed cake in half, swap the pieces round and gently push them into the jam to form the butterfly wings.
13) Top a crumpet - toast the crumpet, spread with butter and then jam - a lovely breakfast
14) Dollop into rice pudding.
15) Spread on pancakes.
16) Use it as a topping on cheesecake.
18) Have a cream tea with a scone, clotted cream and jam.
19) Dollop into semolina
20) Spread on the bread with the butter before making bread and butter pudding.
21) Bait a wasp trap with it.
22) Make Jam Roly Poly.
10) Revive tired bees - sometimes busy bees just run out of energy and crash to the ground. Give them a little jam or honey to sup to get them going again.
17) Spread between two slices of bread to make a sandwich - some people like to add slices of cheese as well (don't knock it until you're tried it!)
23) Spread onto a layer of puff pastry, roll up, cut into slices and bake for 20 minutes at 200°C to make Danish Pastries - Plum & Cinnamon Jam works particularly well.
24) Put jars of jam in a wicker basket, call it a hamper and give it away as a gift.
25) Put it in decorative jars and sell it at craft fairs to the public.
26) Warm it and spread it over marzipan before adding the Royal icing when icing a wedding or Christmas cake - apricot,apple, mirabelle or pear jam is good for this. Happily Baking uses my jam for this when making her lovely Cow Cakes.
27) Add it to natural yoghurt as a flavouring.
28) Use it as a glaze when roasting meat - Redcurrant or Rowan is good for this.
29) Add it to a peanut butter sandwich to stop it sticking to your mouth.
30) Eat it with croissants for a Continental style breakfast.
31) Use in Doughnut Muffins
Doughnut Muffins: (makes 8)
140g (5oz) caster sugar
200g (7oz) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 pot (100-150ml) natural yoghurt, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 140g (5oz) melted butter, 9 tsp raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 190°C, gas 5 and put paper cases into the muffin tin. Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix. Beat together the yoghurt, eggs and vanilla in a jug and pour this into the bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together quickly until just combined. Spoon two thirds of the mixture into the paper cases then blob a teaspoon of jam into each case before covering with the remaining cake mixture. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Cool for five minutes then move to a cooling rack and sprinkle with caster sugar.
32) Line up 7 different flavoured jams to form a rainbow.
33) Dollop jam onto hot waffles - Pear & Chocolate Jam is great for this.
34) Spread thinly on rice cakes as a lighter snack.
35) Swirl into white cake batter before putting it in the oven for a moist, marble cake.
36) Make Easy Jam Biscuits
Easy Jammy Biscuits: (makes 12)
4oz (110g) butter, 8oz (225g) self-raising flour, pinch of salt, 4oz (110g) caster sugar, A little milk, Jam.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (gas 5) and grease a large baking tray. Chop the butter and place in a bowl. Sift in the flour and salt then rub the fat into the flour until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar. Splash in a little milk until it is moist enough to bind into a dough. Use hands to roll the dough into a large sausage shape about 5cm in diameter. Cut the sausage into slices about 2cm thick and put the slices well spaced out onto the baking tray. Use the end of a wooden spoon to make an indentation in the centre of each biscuit. Spoon about half a teaspoon full of jam into each indentation (don't worry if it overflows the hole). Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes until golden then cool on a rack.
37) Make Armistice Day Biscuits - same recipe as the Easy Jammy Biscuits but using Blackcurrant Jam in the centre and red food gel to colour the dough red so that they look like poppies. Sell them to raise money.
38) Make a Dessert Pizza
Dessert Pizza: Small pre-made flan cases, jam, custard, pieces of fruit and marshmallows and other sweets. Onto the flan case spread some red jam as the "tomato sauce". Next add a couple of spoonfuls of custard for the "cheese". And then, as with pizza, chose your toppings - e.g. pieces of fruit and some mini marshmallows.
40) See who has the longest tongue by putting jam on the end of your nose and seeing who can lick it off their own nose!
39) Make Cherry Bakewells
Individual Cherry Bakewells: 1 sheet of Jus-Rol sweet all butter shortcrust pastry, 1 x 110g Jammy Cow Cherry & Almond Jam, 3 oz (85g) self-raising flour, 2 oz (55g) butter at room temperature, 2 oz (55g) caster sugar, 1 large egg, 2 drops of almond extract, 4 oz (110g) icing sugar, 6 glace cherries.
Preheat oven to 190°C. Cut out 12-16 pastry circles and place them into aluminium cases in a suitable baking tin. Blind bake the cases for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes then put about half a teaspoon of jam into the bottom of each pastry case. Cream together the butter and sugar then mix in the egg and almond extract. Sift in the flour and mix to form a batter. Place a teaspoon of the mixture on top of the jam and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack. Mix the icing sugar with a tiny amount of water until to forms a stiff, gloopy icing. Dollop icing on top of each cake and finish with half a glace cherry on each tart.
41) Make Devonshire Splits and treat someone you love to a cream tea
Devonshire Splits: (makes 8)
140ml milk, 225g white bread flour, 25g caster sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp easy-blend dried yeast, Clotted cream, jam and icing sugar to serve. Place all the ingredients into your bread machine in the order stated in your instructions and set to dough. Once finished, remove the dough from the bread machine and knock back on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and shape each one into a round roll. Place on a baking tray and cover with greased Clingfilm. Leave to rise for about half an hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C, gas 7. Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until golden. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, cut in half and fill with clotted cream and jam and sprinkle icing sugar on top.
42) Make Brioche Jam Swirls
Brioche Jam Swirls (makes 12): 30ml (2 tbsp) milk, 2 eggs, 225g (8 oz) bread flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp, caster sugar, 55g (2 oz) butter, 1 1/2 tsp yeast, 2-3 tbsp jam
Pour the milk and eggs into the bread machine pan then put the flour on top. Add the salt, sugar, butter and yeast in separate areas on top of the flour then set your machine to the dough setting. When the dough is ready, knock back on a floured surface then roll out into a rough rectangle. Smear the jam over the dough then roll up the dough along the longest length. Cut into roll into 12 pieces and place each piece, cut side up, into greased holes of a muffin tin. Cover with oiled Clingfilm and leave to double in size. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C, gas 6. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and well risen. Serve hot or cold.
43) Make jam filled crossiants - buy a pack of JusRol crossiants, unroll the pastry, smear with jam, roll into crossiants and bake according to pack instructions.
44) Make French Toast Brioche with jam dip - soak slices of brioche in beaten egg with a splash of milk mixed in then fry the brioche, cut into fingers and serve with a little dish of jam.
45) Glaze hot cross buns or other sweet bread with a plain jam such as apple, pear, apricot or mirabelle.
46) Make a batch of Belguim Buns using Lemon Marmalade or Lemon Curd.
Belgium Buns (makes 12): 100ml milk, 1 egg, 225g strong white flour, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 55g butter, diced, 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast, 2-3 tbsp Lemon Marmalade (or curd), A scattering of currants or other dried fruit, 100g of icing sugar, 12 glace cherries
Whisk together the milk and the egg and put into the bread machine pan. Put the flour on top to form a complete layer. Put the salt, sugar and butter into separate corners of the pan and the yeast in the centre. Set the machine for dough. Once the machine has finished, remove the dough from the pan and place on a floured surface. Knock back then roll out until about 1 cm thick. Smear the marmalade over the dough then scattered over the currants, leaving about 1cm around the edges. Start at one edge and roll up completely. Cut the roll into 12 equal slices and place each slice onto a well greased large baking sheet so that the swirl is horizontal. Cover and leave to double in size. Bake in a pre-heated over at 190°C, gas mark 5 for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden. Remove from the tin onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. In the meantime, mix the icing sugar with a small amount of water to make a sloppy icing. Spoon icing onto the top of each bun and finish with a glace cherry in the centre. Leave in the air until the icing has crusted over.