So, I went on to do my research... And found not just one but TWO really good recipes! Both recipes contain custard powder instead of egg or egg yolks. Both make crispy custard cookies. Not soft. Not hard. Not crunchy.
Why these two recipes?
The first recipe is modified custard powder cookies recipe from HERE. The original recipe makes plain custard cookies with no jam and so I added jam on them to become jam drops! Good thinking, huh? This first batch of cookies are more buttery and crisp. Not crunchy. Not chewy.
The second recipe is the jam drop recipe that is adapted from book, Bake Class by Anneka Manning. Unlike the first recipe, it contains slightly more flour, a little less custard powder, baking powder and milk. It also contains a little less butter* and more sugar* per cookies. Interestingly, these minor differences have made the second batch of crispy jam cookies somehow a little more perfectly balanced! ... being crispy and a little chewy at the same time!!!Which one is better? More butter? Or more sugar? Crispy? Or both crispy and chewy? I must admit it is a tough decision and so I decided to share both recipes!!!*The cookies from the first recipe contains 6.6g butter and 2.6g added sugar per cookie. The cookies from the second recipe contains 5.5g butter and 3.6g added sugar per cookie.
Quick Easy Crispy Buttery Vanilla Custard Jam Cookies / Jam Dropsmade with first recipe (more butter less sugar)
Quick Easy Crispy and Chewy Vanilla Custard Jam Cookies / Jam Dropsmade with second recipe (less butter more sugar)
Can you spot the differences? You can't tell? My husband and son claimed that they can taste the differences.
These cookies are made from recipe one.
With more butter, no added baking powder and milk...can you see that the crumbs are more compact and buttery like pastry?
These cookies are made from recipe two.
With added baking powder and milk...
can you see that the cookies look a little more puffy?
Like the previous quick and easy CHEWY jam cookies at HERE, these two recipes are also super quick and easy to bake!Watch my videos and you will see that both cookie doughs do not need to be chilled. Despite that the cookie dough made from recipe two is slightly softer, both dough are not sticky and easy to handle. Simply mix, assemble and bake! And you can enjoy these cookies within minutes...Recipe One:Crispy jam cookies with more butter less sugar and no baking powder and no milk
Recipe Two:Crispy Chewy jam cookies with less butter more sugar, baking powder and milkMusic: BensoundI wonder if you have noticed? Something in my second video...When I was baking cookies using recipe two, I finished using all store-bought strawberry jam and had to use home-made raspberry jam given by colleague. Unlike the store-bought jam, the home-made jam is loaded with lots of fruits and has an irregular consistency causing the runny part of the jam to "bleed" into the cookie dough. It won't affect the taste and texture of the cookies but they didn't look very "professional made". Thus, I would strongly encourage the use of store-bought jam to bake these cookies if you are planning to make these to give away or to impress...Oh... another thing! I love love love baking these custard jam cookies with salted butter. It creates a perfect balance of sweet and salty!!! If you don't have salted butter, you can bake yours with unsalted butter and a small amount of salt. You have to believe me. The salt really makes the cookies extra yummy!Can you believe this? After baking these cookies, my son actually baked more jam cookies at his high school cooking class and brought his cookies home to compare with mine. Yes! We are having a cookies fight! LOL!!! We were bitching about our cookies and I said that his coconut jam cookies were too soft and bland with no buttery taste and texture!!! OMG... What a fight! LOL!!!Like these recipes, baking video and tips? Please LIKE, SHARE and FOLLOW my Facebook at here or here or my Instagram @zoebakeforhappykids or SUBCRIBE my YouTube channel at here. Unfortunately, I know that Facebook and Instagram have lost its popularity recently. Hence, it will be nice if you can show your support by subscribing to my YouTube channel at here so that you will be informed of my latest video / recipe promptly whenever it is published.I would like to say again that every LIKE, SHARE and FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE from you means a lot to me. I will know that I'm in the right track and continue to bake and share more in the future. Thank you so much for your support!
Recipe One:Crispy Jam Cookies with more butter less sugar (no baking powder no milk)
Makes 15
100g unsalted or salted butter, softened at room temperature
40g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
120g plain / all purpose flour
45g custard powder
1/4 tsp salt, optional, omit if you are using salted butter
about 4 tsp strawberry or raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line baking trays with baking papers.
Use a wooden spoon or an electric mixer with paddle attachment to beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy and combined.
Sift flour, custard powder and salt into the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough is formed.
Divide dough equally into 15 portions, 20g each. Roll into balls and flatten each ball to about 1 cm thick. Use a small 1/4 tsp measuring spoon to make a small indent in the middle. Fill each indent with about 1/4 tsp jam. Arrange on the prepared tray with about 2-3cm apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-16 mins or until the cookies are golden brown and thoroughly baked and crisp, swapping the trays around halfway through baking if required.
Allow cookies to cool slightly on the trays for about 10 mins. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week at room temperature.
Recipe Two:Crispy Chewy Jam Cookies with less butter more sugar plus baking powder and milk
Adapted from the book, Bake Class by Anneka Manning
Makes 18
100g unsalted or salted butter, softened at room temperature
65g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1 1/2 tbsp (22g) milk, at room temperature
150g (1 cup) plain / all purpose flour
35g (2 1/3 tbsp) custard powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt, optional, omit if you are using salted butter
about 5 tsp strawberry or raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line baking trays with baking papers.
Use a wooden spoon or an electric mixer with paddle attachment to beat butter and sugar until creamy and combined.
Add vanilla and milk and beat until pale and creamy.
Sift flour, custard powder, baking powder and salt into the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough is formed.
Divide dough equally into 18 portions, each. Roll into balls and flatten each ball to about 1 cm thick. Use a small 1/4 tsp measuring spoon to make a small indent in the middle. Fill each indent with about 1/4 tsp jam. Arrange on the prepared tray with about 2-3 cm apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins or until the cookies are golden brown and thoroughly baked and crisp, swapping the trays around halfway through baking if required.
Allow cookies to cool slightly on the trays for about 10 mins. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week at room temperature.
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