Jam drops are the biscuit most of us grew up with: a small round biscuit with a jammy dimple pressed into the middle while it is still warm. This version keeps that shape and hands the spice choice to you. One teaspoon decides the character of the whole batch, and the same five-ingredient dough sits underneath every option. It is an easy one to bake with kids on school holidays too, since rolling the balls and pressing the hollows are both jobs small hands manage well.
Our pick is Dried Kunzea Leaf, crushed fine and worked through the dough. It carries a gentle eucalyptus lift with citrus and honey notes, wild harvested in Tasmania, and it sits particularly well against a spoonful of jam. Lemon Myrtle, Wattleseed, Aniseed Myrtle and Peppermint Gum all suit the same base if you would rather try something else, which is really the point of this one: one dough, five different biscuits, depending on which teaspoon you reach for.
At a glance: Makes about 20 | Prep 15 min | Cook 12 min
Ingredients
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon native spice, finely crushed or ground (Dried Kunzea Leaf is our pick; Lemon Myrtle, Wattleseed, Aniseed Myrtle or Peppermint Gum all work too)
- 150g self-raising flour
- Jam, for filling (Davidson Plum jam is the classic bushfood match if you can find it; a good raspberry jam works just as well)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (180°C conventional). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Beat the butter in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer for about a minute, until soft and smooth.
- Add the sugar and your chosen spice and beat again, then work in the flour a little at a time until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Tip the crumbs onto the bench and press them together with your hands until they come into a smooth dough. It feels dry at first, but it holds once you apply pressure.
- Roll the dough into 2cm balls (about 15g each) and space them well apart on the tray. They spread a little as they bake, so give them room.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bases are pale gold and the tops are just set but still pale.
- Straight out of the oven, while the biscuits are still warm and soft, press a small hollow into the centre of each one. The rounded end of a wooden spoon handle does this neatly without cracking the edges.
- Cool the biscuits completely on the tray before spooning a little jam into each hollow.
Three things that decide how they turn out
The dough is the one part of this recipe that has to be right, because it carries whichever spice you choose. If the crumbs feel too dry to press into a ball, work in a few drops of water. If they feel greasy or soft, chill the dough for 10 minutes before rolling. Either way, you want a dough that holds its shape without cracking at the edges.
Keep the balls the same size and the whole tray bakes evenly, so nothing dries out while you wait on the last biscuit to colour. A kitchen scale earns its keep here: about 15g per ball. Space them out properly too. This is a soft dough, not a firm shortbread, and it spreads more than you would expect in the last few minutes in the oven.
The hollow only works while the biscuits are warm. Press it in the moment they come out of the oven, then leave the jam until they are completely cool. Jam spooned into a warm biscuit turns runny and soaks straight into the crumb instead of sitting glossy in the centre. If a hollow has puffed back up while cooling, press it again gently with the same wooden spoon before you fill it.
Tips and swaps
- Choosing your spice: Kunzea leans eucalyptus and honey, Lemon Myrtle is bright citrus, Wattleseed tastes of coffee and dark chocolate, Aniseed Myrtle is softly sweet like licorice, and Peppermint Gum is cool and fresh. Spices beyond Kunzea are available from specialty native food suppliers.
- Can't decide? A half batch (50g butter, 25g caster sugar, ½ teaspoon spice, 75g self-raising flour) lets you try a second spice from the one bake.
- The unfilled dough freezes well. Roll the balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then bag them up and bake straight from frozen with an extra minute or two in the oven.
- A plate of these alongside a pot of Kunzea Relief Tea is an easy afternoon tea, no extra effort required.
Storage
Keep unfilled biscuits in an airtight container for up to a week and spoon in the jam as you serve them. Once filled, they are best eaten within 3 days, as the crumb softens once the jam is in.
Shop the recipe
- Dried Kunzea Leaf - one teaspoon, finely crushed, gives this batch its wild Tasmanian character.
Prefer chocolate? Try Chocolate & Kunzea Jam Drops next.
