These raspberry jam tarts (jam cakes or cookie cups) are amazing. Crumbly and sweet, it's like a filled shortbread baked in muffin tins. They were one of the best cookie cups I have ever made. Perfect to add to your holiday baking they are a total crowd-pleaser. And I added a Nutella filling option.
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Originally published in 2018, the text and images in this post have been updated to serve you better. The recipe remains the same, and we added a video tutorial.
I call them jam tarts, but they are called cakes in most Scandinavian baking books I own.
It's a shortbread dough pressed into muffin cups to form little tarts (or cookie cups). So the name has multiple options. Choose your own adventure.
They race head-to-head with my favorite non-traditional shortbread ever, the Hungarian Shortbread. And that is saying a lot.
So delicious; they're like the best vanilla shortbread cookie filled with raspberry jam. Or apricot, or nutella.
Why this recipe works
- Easy to make: the dough is simple as long as you have room-temperature butter. I make it with a spatula or wooden spoon, so you get the idea.
- Filling: they can be filled with almost any type of jam, paste, or spread you like. There is a Nutella version further down. Just saying.
- Make-ahead: as with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a month.
- No refrigeration: the dough needs no refrigeration. You pat it in the muffin cups directly. Fill it and into the oven it goes!
Ingredients
- Jam: I love a good raspberry jam, but others work too like apricot or plum, Nutella, or cookie butter.
- Unsalted butter.
- Cornstarch: it's an essential ingredient to achieve that smooth and crumbly texture.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Lemon zest.
- Sliced almonds: they cover the jam so that it doesn't dry out too much during baking, and add a wonderful crunch.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
WATCH THE STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO 👇🏻
How to make shortbread tarts
Watch the video above for a step-by-step guide on how to make the dough.
Once the cookie dough is done, form small walnut-sized balls and press them into muffin tins. Using a small cookie scoop is a good idea to make them all the same size.
Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam to each cookie cup.
Top with sliced almonds.
Vintage Kitchen tip: after the jam tarts are baked, let them cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to loosen up any jam or dough that might be stuck.
Filling ideas
Since they are Scandinavian, using good raspberry jam (store-bought or homemade) is a no-brainer.
- Spreads: for the sake of research, we made a batch with Nutella. Ufff, they are fabulous! Cookie butter spread would be another wonderful holiday filling.
- Jams: I recommend using slightly acidic ones like raspberries, blackberries, apricots, sour cherries, and plums. Besides that, use any spread you love.
Topping
Sliced almonds are the best as they provide the best crunch.
I once added chopped hazelnuts to the Nutella cakes, which work well.
So use the ones you feel go better with the filling you're using.
You can leave them without the powdered sugar on top.
The layer of jam will solidify and will be delicious, like a wonderful raspberry jam thumbprint cookie. Similar to these strawberry jam cookies.
Either way, you need to make them! Any way you fill them, they will end up sweet, and crunchy but soft and prove to be a crowd-pleaser. Take my word.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Dough: it comes together easily if you have the butter at room temperature. It doesn't include an egg. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water or milk to bind it together. I made it a few times and never needed it, but I know readers who had this issue.
- Make-ahead: make the dough ahead and have it ready in the fridge. If you freeze it remember to defrost it in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. You can also freeze the dough in the pan, already patted.
- Flavorings: the lemon zest and vanilla are perfect, but you might want to change the flavor of the dough depending on the filling. Maybe orange zest and blackberry jam? Or some ground cardamom?
- Almonds: In my opinion, there is nothing like sliced almonds for that thin crunch that is hard to achieve with any other nut or if they are chopped. So, I highly suggest them.
- Storing: they keep very well at room temperature for a day. You can freeze them already baked, and well-wrapped. Defrost at room temperature uncovered and warm for a few minutes in a medium oven.
- Muffin pans: you can bake them directly in regular muffin pans like I do, or use paper liners. The latter is a good idea if you're hesitant about them being too crumbly to remove from the muffin tins.
They make me think of adjectives like dainty, pretty, sophisticated, and all those pink words I love when it comes to cookies, filled or otherwise.
Scandinavian baking is something I'm fascinated with.
I love their use of spices like cardamom and cinnamon, their yeasted sweet breads (like this wonderful Finnish pulla), and all those stories about the meaning of fika and hygge.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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Shortbread Jam Tarts
These raspberry jam tarts (or jam cakes) are amazing. Crumbly and sweet, it's like a filled shortbread baked in muffin tins. They were one of the best cookie cups I have ever made. Perfect to add to your holiday baking they are a total crowd-pleaser. And I added a Nutella filling option.
Watch the video in the post for step-by-step instructions!
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (75g) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups (200g) all purpose or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup to ¾ cup cornstarch (60g to 80g) - Note: I use the whole amount, but a few readers commented that the dough is too crumbly for them. So start with the ½ cup and see if the dough comes together without being too soft and sticky.
- ½ cup (more or less) raspberry jam or Nutella
- ½ cup (or so) sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
- Have ready paper muffin cups (many readers have a hard time taking these jam tarts out of the muffin pans, so use paper cups for easier handling). Or butter/spray the muffin pans. I have used both with good results.
- In a large bowl mix soft butter, zest and vanilla.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and mix well.
- Add sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in 2 parts and mix well. Use a spatula or wooden spoon so you don't overwork the dough.
- Add sifted cornstarch and mix well until you have a soft dough (see comment above).
- It is soft and not sticky. You can watch the video in the post for details on how the dough should be.
- Make walnut-sized balls or use a measuring spoon to fill muffin cups, and pat them onto the paper cups halfway up the sides.
- Carefully, with a spoon, fill each cup with raspberry jam or Nutella.
- Top with some sliced almonds and bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden and dry.
- Let them cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack and run a smooth-bladed knife to ensure they didn't stick to the sides. Let them cool and remove them from the pan. They are very soft, so help yourself with the knife and your hands.
- Serve with a bit of powdered sugar sifted on top.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Dough: it comes together easily if you have the butter at room temperature. It doesn't include an egg. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water or milk to bind it together. I made it a few times and never needed it, but I know readers who had this issue.
- Make-ahead: make the dough ahead and have it ready in the fridge. If you freeze it remember to defrost it in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. You can also freeze the dough in the pan, already patted.
- Flavorings: the lemon zest and vanilla are perfect, but you might want to change the flavor of the dough depending on the filling. Maybe orange zest and blackberry jam? Or some ground cardamom?
- Almonds: In my opinion, there is nothing like sliced almonds for that thin crunch that is hard to achieve with any other nut or if they are chopped. So, I highly suggest them.
- Storing: they keep very well at room temperature for a day. You can freeze them already baked, and well-wrapped. Defrost at room temperature uncovered and warm for a few minutes in a medium oven.
- Muffin pans: you can bake them directly in regular muffin pans like I do, or use paper liners. The latter is a good idea if you're hesitant about them being too crumbly to remove from the muffin tins.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Scandinavian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/20
- Calories: 176
- Sugar: 7.1 g
- Sodium: 22.7 mg
- Fat: 9.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.1 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 24.4 mg
Keywords: jam cakes, jam tarts
Adapted from ScandiKitchen
Gina says
These look yummy and am adding them to my Christmas baking list. My question is if can use mini muffin cups instead of the larger size. Thank you!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Gina! I never tried them, but I don't see why you can't.
Andjelija Krivokapic says
Hi, Paula,
I just saw this recipe and thought of putting a slice of marzipan under the jam…..I hope it works when I make them!
By the way, is your surname common in Argentina or perhaps you or your ancestors have connection with actual country of Montenegro?
I am from there but live in England and know that many people from Montenegro emigrated to Argentina over the years and stayed there….when I look at your picture I see features similar to those of Montenegrian origin! Perhaps I am wrong….nevertheless, I came across your blog while looking for a Chocolate Orange cake recipe and liked the one you posted…I made it today and it is for keeps, it came out brilliantly, we all enjoyed it, so soft and full of flavour! I used rum and orange juice instead of orange liquer (I did not have any). Thank you!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Angelica! The marzipan sounds wonderful.
I have nothing to do with Montenegro the country and don't think I know anyone from there. The name is not one of the most common, but there are quite a few of us that are not related. So some might come from there. My branch comes from Spain.
So happy to know the chocolate orange cake came out well! We love it here and make it often. Have a great week.
Irell says
Hi I have jut made them using cake flour instead of All Purpose as we don't have that flour here in South Africa. They are delicious but very crumbly....a little too crumbly....making them difficult to eat. Can I add something to make them just a little less crumbly?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Irell! Did you use all the cornstarch? Check the video where I show what the dough should be like and then adjust the cornstarch. I do explain that in the recipe card because, though I never had that issue, I know readers that did. And the type of flour shouldn't be an issue. Let me know if you have further questions. Happy baking!
Carol Sowerby says
You need to leave them in the muffin tin to cool before you take them out or they just crumble
Gabrielle says
Wonderful! What is the traditional name of these tarts?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Gabrielle! They're called hallongrottor.
Anna-Isabel says
This recipe is so simple and easy to follow but the end product is delicious and sophisticated! I love it. Thank you, Paula!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
SO happy to know that Anna! I also love it. Have a great week.
CJ says
HELLO PAULA WANT TO TRY THIS DO I ADD NUTELLA BEFORE BAKING OR AFTER BAKING THE TARTS - THANK YOU
Paula Montenegro says
Hi CJ! Add it before baking.