These Scandinavian-style butter cookie cups are muffin-tin shortbread cup that works with any jam. They're crumbly and delicate, and the dough is pressed straight into the muffin cups; no need to chill or roll it. Unlike British-style jam tarts, which use a sturdier water-bound shortcrust, these are tender and delicate rather than flaky, so let them cool before lifting them out, or use paper liners. They're perfect for a holiday cookie tray or afternoon tea.
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These mini jam tarts race head-to-head with my favorite non-traditional shortbread ever, the Hungarian Shortbread. And that is saying a lot.
Baking with jam is a favorite of mine in the winter, and these shortbread raspberry jam tarts are quite interesting, crumblier than regular mini tarts, but not complicated to put together, as the dough is simple as long as you have room-temperature butter. I make it with a spatula or wooden spoon.
The shortbread dough needs no refrigeration. Pat walnut-sized balls of dough into the muffin cups directly to form little tarts (or cookie cups). Fill them, and into the oven they go!
They can be filled with almost any type of jam, paste, or spread you like. If you like a sweeter version, use strawberry jam or Nutella.
And, as with most shortbread doughs, it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a month.
Both are jam-filled butter cookies. Thumbprints are shaped on a baking sheet. These are baked in a muffin tin, which gives them a cup shape and more room for jam.
Thick jams and preserves work best, such as raspberry, strawberry, apricot, or plum. Runny jams can overflow, so they're not my first choice.
Do you put jam in tarts before baking?
Yes. Spoon the jam into the unbaked dough cups, then bake everything together. Fill them about half full so the jam doesn't bubble over.
- Anna-Isabel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This recipe is so simple and easy to follow, and the end product is delicious and sophisticated! I love it. Thank you, Paula!
- Juliette ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is absolutely delicious. I make it with homemade blackberry jam, and it's a big hit with the children 🙂
- Candace ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These are fantastic! I made my dough almond-flavored and used lingonberries for half the filling and Nutella for the rest! They are a huge hit and will be a family favorite for years to come! Thank you!
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that make a difference.
Have the butter at room temperature, so the dough comes together easily. 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 this recipe a lot of times (there's a video in the recipe card) and never needed it, but I know readers who had this issue.
You can make the dough ahead and have it ready in the fridge. If you freeze it, remember to thaw it in the refrigerator the day before rather than at room temperature. I freeze the dough in the pan, already patted, which saves time! It's not for long-term storage, but it works for a few days in the freezer.
Almonds: I think 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 recommend them.
Muffin pans: You can bake them directly in regular muffin pans as 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.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Cornstarch: it's an essential ingredient to achieve that smooth and crumbly texture.
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners' sugar or icing sugar.
- Sliced almonds: they cover the jam so that it doesn't burn or dry out too much during baking and add a wonderful crunch. Chopped almonds don't do the trick as well.
How to make shortbread jam 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 cookie scoop is a good idea to make them all the same size. I use the small cookie scoop of this set, which is 1.57 inches / 4cm in diameter, for regular-sized cookies.
Hand-mixed dough
Step 1 text
Pat and fill
Pat small balls of dough into muffin cups to make a tart crust.
Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam to each cookie cup.
Top with almonds
Sliced almonds are highly recommended. They are thin and provide the best crunch.
I have added chopped hazelnuts to the Nutella tarts, which worked well.
Baking
The jam will bubble, the dough will turn golden brown, as will some of the almonds.
Paula's tip
After the jam tarts are baked, let them cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and carefully run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges to loosen up any jam or dough that might be stuck. Do this while they're still warm. But wait and let them cool further to remove them; warm shortbread dough is very tender.
Filling ideas
Spreads: for the sake of research, we made a batch with Nutella; they were 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. But really, you can use any spread you love.
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.
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Shortbread Jam Tarts
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ - ¾ cup cornstarch, see Note below
- ½ cup raspberry jam, another jam or spread like Nutella
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Have paper muffin cups ready (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 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted, and mix well.
- Add the sifted 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in 2 parts and mix well. Use a spatula or wooden spoon so you don't overwork the dough.
- Add the sifted ½ - ¾ cup cornstarch and mix well until you have a soft dough. It is soft and not sticky. You can watch the video in the post for details on what the dough should be like.
- 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 ½ cup raspberry jam, dividing evenly. Top with ½ cup sliced almonds, dividing among the cups, 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 further 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. You can omit it if you want.
Video
Notes
Adapted from ScandiKitchen
Hope K. says
Okay lady! I made these and they were PERFECT! Although I was a wee bit messy when I put them together , they came out wonderful!! Just the right amount of crumble. I followed the recipe with one exception. I did use my mixer up until the cornstarch, then I used my hands. I had exactly 3/4 cup of cornstarch and used it. This recipe goes into my keeper file! Thank you!
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks for the detailed answer Hope! Have a great Christmas.
Tone says
My grandson really likes them so do I making more tomorrow looking really forward to it great recipe thanx.
Denise Brown says
The Jam Tarts are delicious. I always wanted to bake some after reading a Swedish novel where they were described and made my mouth water ! I had no problems with the dough and did use 3/4 cup of Cornstarch. I used cupcake papers and carefully removed them from the pan after a few minutes and put them on wire racks to cool. When they were almost cool I peeled down the sides and used a brownie spatula to slide them off the paper and let them completely cool that way. But I found even when completely cooled they fall apart while eating so I don`t see how you could freeze them or bake them as a gift. Did I do something wrong ? Is there any way to make them so they hold together better ? I`d love to try again.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Denise, I'm glad you liked them! Yes, they're crumbly. You could add an egg and make a sturdier dough, more like a shortbread crust.
Deborah Feinberg says
I have to share that these cookies tasted amazing.....but, and this is a big but...they are very crumbley, to the point that you can not really serve them. After they are baked they are very pretty-it is removing them from the pan that was impossible. I did make sure to spray it first. I didn't want to use the paper cups. I also read the recipe and I didn't add the extra cornstarch, as you suggested to reduce it. Still impossible to serve as I was planning on giving these as a gift for someone. BTW- I am an experienced baker. I had to make a new batch using my recipe that works just fine.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Deborah, I have made it so many times, and did a video also to show that is crumbly but manageable. Still, some readers are not getting the same results. So I'm going to retest and review this recipe. Thanks for commenting, it helps a lot. Have a great week.