winter baking: jam drops

the weather of late has been pretty cold. then there has been the days and days of rain, with a minor flood of the chooks shed thrown in too.
perfect weather though for a spot of baking. i have made jam drops before but thought i'd try a new recipe this time and i'm so glad I did. with the addition of coconut this is a new favourite.

jam drops

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, I used coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/4 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
2/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup jam

preheat oven to 180 C (170 C fan forced). line two trays with baking paper. using an electric mixer beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and creamy. add the egg, and mix until combined.

add the flour and coconut into the butter mixture. mix well to combine.

roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls. place each ball onto a baking tray, leaving some room for the biscuits to spread. flatten each biscuit slightly, then use a finger to poke an indentation into each biscuit. fill the indentation with jam.

bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. cool on tray for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

this recipe is based on this one by Leisl for coconutty jam drops. i made a few alterations- using coconut sugar and wholemeal flour. next time i'll try softened coconut oil in place of butter to make these dairy-free too. and as for jam filling I used the three berry jam by Anathoth. as far as supermarket jams go this is one of the best I've tried. and the ingredients are simple: fruit and sugar.