So, I got a little obsessed over some cookies. They weren’t just any cookies, they were Dorie Greenspan’s brilliant new “Jammers”, which she debuted at the latest incarnation of her (and her son Josh’s) CookieBar. I first saw them when Bon Appétit hosted a contest where readers could vote on their favorite Cookiebar cookie and have the recipe revealed, but the Jammers lost (although, I would like to point out to my friends at Bon Appétit that this was not a fair contest since the vote was split between the dark and light Jammers. I mean, come on!). I was disappointed, but blamed myself for not exercising my democratic rights.
Luckily, Dorie has been very open in talking about the recipe and explained that the cookie was a shortbread base (more specifically, her sablé recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours), Sarabeth’s preserves and a streusel topping. All of that was baked in a ring mold (a ring mold! ah, the brilliance of this woman!), which gave the cookies delightfully browned edges and made each one a special treat—somewhere between a jam tart and a substantial cookie.
I knew they had to be mine.
Since a trip to New York wasn’t in the cards, I set about making them myself.
I thought the jam filling would be the easiest par— I could just buy it. I found a jar of the Sarahbeth Raspberry/Strawberry jam at a local market. Easy. But the lemony pineapple-pear was not available for sale. Bummer. The recipe was included in Sarabeth’s book (which is beautiful) and so, of course, I made it. The jam itself is delicious, and totally worth making on its own. I’ll post the recipe for that soon.
With jam procured, I began pondering the tart rings. I know not everyone has a set of ring molds to use, and buying a set can be costly. People always suggest making them out of tuna cans, but that seems both unappealing and like a long-term project. I found a good alternative in the unlikeliest of places: the whoopie pie pan. Whoopie pie pans are not something I would normally buy, and have definitely made fun of in the past. They seem 100% unnecessary for the making of whoopie pies, and in fact make whoopie pies look not like whoopie pies—I don’t get it. BUT, they are a great mold for these cookies, and so I apologize to any whoopie pie pans I have offended over the years. Your time has come.
With the equipment and jam ready to go (oh no, this is getting really Cook’s Illustrated-y), I was ready to bake. Dorie’s sablé cookie dough has been a favorite for a long time, and I just added a little vanilla (or lemon, in the case of the light jammers) for flavor. The recipe makes enough dough to fill the whoopie pie pan exactly, which was a happy little coincidence. Once I had smoothed the dough into each of the 12 little cups, I topped each with a scant tablespoon of jam and a sprinkling of streusel, put them in the oven, and waited.
I don’t know what Dorie’s cookies tasted like, so I can’t compare these to anything. But I can say that these are fantastic. They taste exactly like what I imagined her jam-filled cookies would be like (although I do imagine them being even better in her expert hands). Buttery shortbread, sweet and flavorful jam and then the crunch of streusel. Wowzers. Cookie jackpot!
And now we can all start getting creative with this technique. Different jams, different flavoring for the shortbread, nuts in the streusel, the possibilities are almost endless.
I did make my second batch in ring molds, and they are prettier. If you have them, definitely use them. I like the straight sides, but the taste is the same and the whoopie pie pan versions are charming in their own way.
Thank you, Dorie, for the inspiration and for teaching us all that streusel and cookies are the perfect match and that browned edges really are the best part. You remain, my baking hero and inspiration. Soon, we’ll all be able to order some of Dorie’s cookies and have them delivered to our homes. I hope you are as excited as I am.
If you were fortunate to try the real jammers, and try this version, let me know how they compare!
Dorie’s Cookiebar Jammers (as imagined by me)
Sablé Dough (recipe by Dorie Greenspan, from Baking: From My Home to Yours)
- 2 sticks (1 cup / 8 ounces / 227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar (3.5 oz/ 100 g)
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (1 oz / 28 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably fine sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks (7 teaspoons / 35 ml. / 1.3 oz / 37 g), at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (9.6 oz / 272 g)
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 of the egg yolks and vanilla, again beating until the mixture is homogeneous.
Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and the counter from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek—if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. (If most of the flour is incorporated but you’ve still got some in the bottom of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to work the rest of the flour into the dough.) The dough will not clean the sides of the bowl, nor will it come together in a ball—and it shouldn’t. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you’re aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy (rather than smooth) dough. Pinch it, and it will feel a little like Play-Doh.
***variation: you can make a lemon-y dough by omitting the vanilla and adding the zest of one lemon to the granulated sugar. Use your fingers to rub it in and release oils from lemon. Proceed as directed.
Brown Sugar Streusel
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (ideally fine sea salt, I sometimes also use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt)
- pinch of ground cinnamon
Melt butter in a small saucepan on stove or in microwave. Add the rest of the ingredients all at once and stir with a fork to form crumbs. You should have a kind of wet sand texture. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Assembling and baking the Cookies:
You need 1 recipe of sablé cookie dough, 1 recipe of streusel, and some jam or preserves
You also need 8-10 3-inch x 1.5 inch metal ring molds or a whoopie pie pan.
In either case, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Tart Ring Method: Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll dough to just shy of 1/2-inch thick. Use 3-inch round rings to stamp out cookies (I ended up getting 8-9 cookies using this method. You could take the scraps and press them into extra molds). Transfer the dough and rings to prepared baking sheet. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes until the dough firms up a bit (while the dough chills, you can make the streusel). Top the chilled dough with a couple of teaspoons of jam (strawberry/raspberry with vanilla dough, pineapple/pear with lemon or get creative) and a sprinkling of the streusel. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until golden and delicious looking. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before removing the rings. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Whoopie pie pan method: Fill each cup of the pan with a piece of dough and flatten with your fingers. The dough will be just slightly lower than the top of the pan. Proceed as above. Allow cookies to cool for 15-20 minutes in pan before using a small offset spatula to carefully ease them out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.
Makes 10-12 really substantial cookies, serving size is definitely 1. If you can hold on to them, they will keep well for 2-3 days.
Nina | Salt says:
February 25th, 2011 at 7:57 am
Wow! Fantastic adaptation…they look amazing, and the flavor possibilities really are endless! Great post.
randa says:
February 25th, 2011 at 8:02 am
Hi Tim, As someone who can’t really buy any new equipment at this time…do you think a cupcake/muffin tin might work? Because these look really awesome. Thanks!
Apt2bbakingco says:
February 25th, 2011 at 8:38 am
These look amazing. I went to cookiebar and they sold out right before I got to the front of the line, but now I can try to recreate the magic at home!
Caroline Shields says:
February 25th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Ok, these look so good for so many reasons. And I love love love the name Jammers. Perfection.
Also laughing about the pie pan, when I used to teach classes for WS, people would want to buy “choppers” and I would say, “what’s wrong with a knife?”
Tim says:
February 25th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Hey Randa,
Yes! I would imagine you can totally use a muffin tin. Pros: you have one, it will work. Cons: they will be about half the size, which means they aren’t the sort of individual self-contained treats they are here. If you only have one muffin tin, you will need to bake a batch, allow to cool, clean, fill, chill, etc– so it may be a long process. But go for it! Also, FYI, I think the whoopie pie trend is fading and I have seen the pans on sale for as little as $5 (which doesn’t help if you just don’t have space for another piece of kitchen equipment, but still) happy baking!
The Blue-Eyed Bakers says:
February 25th, 2011 at 9:15 am
These look amazing…we love everything about these…the sable, the jam, um hi the streusel! And they’re so perfectly round! Yum.
Kelly says:
February 25th, 2011 at 9:55 am
these look so good. so, so good.
Megan Gordon says:
February 25th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Fabulous, Tim. These looks great. Love your visuals on the options and I agree with your thoughts on whoopie pie tins on sale–seen quite a few this week as such.
Happy weekend!
Matt says:
February 25th, 2011 at 11:57 am
Beautiful, brilliant handheld deliciousness. Can’t wait to give these a try.
elizabeth / sophisticated pie says:
February 25th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
these look fabulous! I can’t wait to get that jam recipe, it sounds divine!
tj says:
February 25th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
…Holy Yum! These look and sound delightful and thank you for sharing the recipe! I will def’ be trying these and btw, am waiting patiently for the jam recipe. *drumming fingers on tabletop* ;o)
…Blessings…
MarmandeintheKitchen says:
February 25th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
These look delicious! I had planned on going to Cookiebar at lunch one day, but wimped out because it was so cold out, so I will definetly give these a try to see what I missed.
BethT says:
February 25th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Everything about this post is an example of why I love your blog.
Tim says:
February 25th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Aw, thanks Beth! That is so sweet.
And thanks to all for the good comments. I am excited for people to try these.
Lora says:
February 25th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
I visited the cookie bar and had a pear pineapple jammer. It was sublime. Yours look perfect! thanks for al your efforts in decoding the recipe!
aecummings2 says:
February 25th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Tim,
I fell in love with these cookies ever since Dorie first mentioned them and was so excited to see your post today. Your Jammers are picture perfect! I ordered 12 rings from cooking.com but they are aluminum and backordered till Mar. 3. Are your stainless rings seemless? If so I still have time to cancel the aluminum in favor of these. I am so excited to make these cookies!
linda says:
February 25th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
if a post could “glow” this one certainly does! it is filled with wonderful information & a shining example of your excitement & enthusiasm… & it is contagious!!
i cannot wait to bake these. i love the photograph of the jammers from the ring tart molds & that is the way i will go…thanks tim!
linda says:
February 25th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
nice mention from david lebovitz’s 2/25 post:
“Get rid of useless widgets and sidebar clutter and focus on content and pictures. Good examples of sites with very simple designs, which recede and highlight the compelling content are Sprouted Kitchen, A Life Worth Eating, deliciousdays, Zen Can Cook, and Lottie + Doof.”
Tim says:
February 25th, 2011 at 9:25 pm
ae: My stainless steel rings are not seamless, but the seam is extremely tight, so I don’t think it would effect product in any way. (there is no seam line when you bake a tart crust in them. They are super heavy duty. I have some of the aluminum rings, and have been frustrated with them in the past because they were too lightweight.
Linda: Thanks for always being so sweet and supportive, it means a lot to me. I liked the Lebovitz post a lot- lots of good information.
Shaheen {The Purple Foodie} says:
February 26th, 2011 at 11:28 am
This looks amazing,Tim. I especially love things with streusel toppings.
Summer says:
February 26th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Aww, urs are perfect!
I baked these too , a bit back , yeah inspired by Dorie and fell in love, whoever had these fell in love too!
Yeah her jammer posts did that to me too!
Arent these good?
I had french jam so thats what went in!
I loveee ur pics are clear and post excellent!
As always!
Melissa says:
February 26th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Thank you so much for testing this recipe out! I’ve been dying for it as soon as I saw the Jammers on Dorie’s blog. I have a lots of muffin tins, so that’s what I’ll try!
Andrea Marambio says:
February 26th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
You have made me oh so happy! I read about these cookies on Dories blog not long ago and really wanted to make them – now I definitly will!
peabody says:
February 26th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I have some Pear-Nutmeg Jam that is screaming for this recipe!
Rachel says:
February 26th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
These look so yummy! Any kind of cookie with jam on it is okay in my book.
Suzanne says:
February 27th, 2011 at 9:46 am
I have a muffin top pan, but not a whoopie pie pan. Does anyone have both, and if so, how do they compare? My pan looks similar to the photo.
Kimberley says:
February 27th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
I’m not always excited by cookies, but these are quite the exception! Probably because of a weakness for jam in a cookie, and that perfectly crisp edge. And all those competing textures.
Sprinzette says:
February 27th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Ooh, this looks absolutely stunning. I love your posts – the pictures are stunning.
Caffettiera says:
February 28th, 2011 at 3:44 am
I used to eat something similar millions of years ago, with raspberry jam, and now I am dying to make these. The info you provided for alternatives to the rings is great – my kitchen space is very limited (isn’t it so for everyone?) so any such comment is very welcome.
Tim says:
February 28th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Hi Suzanne, I think there is some variance in muffin top pan size. The whoopie pie pan has cups that are about 3-inches in diameter and maybe 1/2-inch deep. Hope that helps.
Reesa says:
February 28th, 2011 at 11:18 am
Mmmm! I think I may try these with my large muffin tin and see how that works. But Tim, please do post the lemony pineapple pear jam recipe — it sounds so good and I’m dying to try it!
Dana says:
February 28th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Amazing! I just made them and they were so yummy. I don’t have ring molds, so I used the lids from some extra mason jars that were laying around. They gave me the perfect round shape with a bit of height. I let them cool right down before popping them out. Delish! Thanks for posting:)
Tim says:
February 28th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Dana, that is so smart. Glad they worked that way, it is a good DIY alternative to the pan or rings.
Beth says:
March 1st, 2011 at 2:52 pm
These cookies look fabulous. Every recipe of Dorie’s is terrific! Mason jar lids (as one of your other commenters suggested) would also be a great solution.
Jessica "Su Good Sweets" says:
March 1st, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Oh my goodness, these look just like the Cookie Bar’s version. I’d describe theirs as crumb cake in cookie form. Also, you can use the whoopie pie pan for muffin tops!
Linda says:
March 1st, 2011 at 6:26 pm
I too was obsessed with this cookie. I made mine in the aluminum rings. The first 8 I rolled the dough 1/3″ thick. I didn’t have Sarabeth’s wonderful jams, but I did have some apricot and strawberry jam I made. I used a streussel with a little almond flour and a pinch of cardamon. The cookies came out perfectly, but I thought they were too thick so I rolled the remaining 5 -1/4″ thick and I liked that so much better. I rerolled my scraps and cut out circles and pressed them into fluted tartlet molds. they turned out fantastic too.
I saw the whoopie pan today and wondered how that would work. Can you post a picture of them?
jane says:
March 2nd, 2011 at 7:48 am
I too have been obsessed with these cookies since I saw them. Thanks so much for supplying a recipe. I made them yesterday and they were fantastic. I made them in 2 different size pans. (i have no ring molds) The whoopee pan was a nice size, the muffin top pan (4 inches) was quite large, more then I like to eat in on sitting. They looked great!!. Thanks so much and I love your site. Where did you get the ring molds and what size are yours?
Tim says:
March 2nd, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Hi Jane,
Yeah, the muffin top pan seemed too big. They kind of become a different thing. The ring mold info is linked above. They were the nicest I could fine, but definitely an investment….
Cynthia says:
March 4th, 2011 at 7:34 am
Like my friend Jane, I have been dreaming about these cookies…trying to
Figure out a streusel recipe and what jam to use. I followed
Your recipe but subbed scraped vanilla bean for the
Extract and used June Taylor lemon Rosemary marmalade
In half and farmers market cherry balsamic jam in the other
Half. More than perfect. Thank-you– thank-you!!!!
annette says:
March 6th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
I did them in my muffin pans (I luckily have two) and they turned out great.
I got about 21. My co workers are screaming for more.
I actually like the smaller size better, that way you can possibly eat two, unless
those hungry family members snatch them away from you faster than you can chew.
Tim says:
March 6th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Hi Annette, Glad to hear they worked out for you. And good to know you liked the small versions better than the large versions.
Ashbt says:
March 7th, 2011 at 9:35 am
I also made them in muffin tins, and was really happy with them. I pressed the dough into the bottoms (ungreased) to about 1/4 inch thick, and baked them for 14 minutes and they are perfect. And, also, gone.
Brilynn says:
March 9th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Every since Dorie mentioned those Jammers I can’t stop thinking about them! Love that you’ve posted your version, I will be giving them a try very soon!
shanae says:
March 23rd, 2011 at 12:07 am
Thanks to Saveur for posting the link to your blog! I love this site!
Mugsy says:
May 2nd, 2011 at 8:42 pm
I just made these in the Whoopie pan. So divine! Used an organic blackberry jam and my strawberry freezer jam. It will be fun finding unusual artisan jams for these cookies. Thanks for sleuthing out the recipe.
Maureen says:
August 2nd, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I have made these for two parties and they are such a hit! Thanks for sharing! I love your site!
Tim says:
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Great, Maureen! So good to hear.
Mikki says:
September 1st, 2011 at 6:59 pm
I made these to take to work for a meeting. Used homemade blackberry jam and made them in paper ring molds. They were divine! Not a crumb was left.
Tara says:
September 7th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I just made two different versions that I plan to share with my readers in the next two weeks. These jammers are amazing – you and Dorie have truly outdone yourselves!!
AmyRuth says:
November 12th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
I’ve debated this recipe in my noggin for months and hit the proverbial stainless steel ring wall. I am so glad to read your post. Can’t believe it took this long for me to discover it. Either way, I’ve looked at Bridge Kitchen gear’s site and see they have rings but didn’t know if they were tall enough, (based on the video I’ve watched over and over) he he Yay, I think your info actually gave me the super nudge to get ‘er done so I can make them for Christmas exchanges with friends and neighbors. Wouldn’t that be just so awesome. Also, I was a lucky winner for a gift box of Sarabeth’s jam from the poor poor shameful group of us who didn’t attend the Blogger festivities. So I have some of her jam in tiny cute little jars. How tall should the sides of the rings be would you say?
Anyway, I’m so excited and yes I love love love Dorie’s cookies.
AmyRuth
Tim says:
November 13th, 2011 at 10:02 am
Hi AmyRuth, they really just need to be taller than the cookie. You could get away with anywhere from 1-2 inches. Happy baking!
AmyRuth says:
November 14th, 2011 at 9:23 am
Hey there, thanks for your response. One more question. This may or may not matter and that is my question. I’ve noticed varying weights of SS rings fro 18 to 22 and just thought I would get your thoughts if it makes that big of a difference in the baking performance? Prices are all across the board and so I don’t want to sacrifice quality baking performance for a few dollars but if there is no significant difference, jeepers why spend the big bucks when I can obtain them for a couple of dollars/ea. Thanks again. Can’t wait.
AmyRuth
Tim says:
November 14th, 2011 at 9:29 am
Hey AmyRuth- My rings are fairly heavy, and they are the only ones I have worked with. Unfortunately, I don’t know what weight they are. I can’t imagine it makes much of a difference, but if prices are the same i would go for the heavier ring.
Louisa says:
November 28th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Your recipe is wonderful! I make them using a two muffin tins and it works out perfectly. And I found the Sarabeth jam. Am making them for the library holiday party.
Thanks so much!
blackjack bakehouse says:
December 13th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
These jammers are now my favorite cookie! I baked tiny versions (using your awesome recipe) with a mini muffin pan for about 20 minutes. Perfect! Thank you for the recipe! Blogged about it here — http://blackjackbakehouse.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/mini-streusel-cookie-pies/
DB says:
November 12th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I found your recipe via Blackjack bakehouse and baked them in mini-muffins pans…absolutely delicious! Used a orange-grapefruit ginger marmalade and a triple berry jam. Will definitely adding these to my holiday cookies this year. Thanks!
Nancy in NJ says:
November 28th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
JAMMER ALERT! D.G. has posted a version of her Jammer recipe on Food52. Your recipe is still high on my list to try very soon but thought you might want to see what she’s currently doing with them. There’s a video too.
Tim says:
November 28th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Aw, Nancy! You’re the best. Thanks for thinking of me. She also published it in Bon Appetit this month. Her version is better, I made them this past weekend. I love Dorie for being so generous with her recipes.
Nancy in NJ says:
December 4th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
But big thanks go to you too, Tim, for sharing your recipes and experiences! I love to see you pop up in my email inbox.
Lily from Australia says:
December 12th, 2012 at 2:33 am
Hi Tim,
Love your blog!
The link to purchase the ring molds is not active, can you please let me know where you got them from as I am having trouble finding them.
Tim says:
December 12th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Hi Lily- I got them through that website. They must not sell them anymore. You’ll need to look for them elsewhere. Sorry!
Penny Wolf says:
June 23rd, 2015 at 6:12 am
It might be a little tricky but maybe canning rings could work.
I have some black raspberry jam that I’m itching to use in this
recipe!
Jennifer K says:
August 9th, 2016 at 10:29 am
Alton Brown suggests making rings from tuna fish or salmon cans. I have done that and it works well. You might want to sand the edges of the cans so you do not hurt yourself.
Becky says:
November 10th, 2016 at 9:58 am
I just finished reading through Dorie’s Cookies and saw her mention of you and your brilliant baking hack! That’s so cool! :)
Elle Marie says:
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made the pineapple-pear jam and baked the lemon/pineapple/pear version for a cookie contest a friend hosted and was voted best tasting cookie. These are sublime! For easier eating, I baked these in a muffin tin and wound up with 23 smaller jammers. I put small rounds of parchment in the bottoms of the tin to make it easier to get them out after baking.