Are you on the hunt for scrumptious desserts that make the most out of your favorite jams and preserves?
While jam is a staple in many pantries, often used for breakfast spreads and sandwiches, incorporating it into desserts requires a bit of culinary creativity. It’s all about finding the right balance and pairing to enhance both the jam’s flavor and the sweetness of the dessert.
From classic jam-filled cookies and tarts to innovative cakes and pastries, these recipes showcase the versatility of jam in the dessert world, providing a variety of options to suit any occasion.
So, whether you have a jar of homemade berry jam or a store-bought apricot preserve, get ready to explore and elevate your dessert game with these incredible jam-infused delights!
“In A Rush? Key Takeaways”
- Explore 20 delicious and creative desserts with jam recipes.
- Discover the versatility of jam in a variety of sweet treats.
- Perfect for any occasion, from casual gatherings to special celebrations.
- Elevate your dessert game with these jam-infused delights.
Kolaczki (Polish Cookies)
When it comes to holiday cookies, kolaczki is a must-make tradition. These classic Polish cookies have been a cherished recipe passed down for generations, and for good reason. The buttery, tender dough comes together quickly and easily.
It’s then stuffed with a variety of luscious fillings like jam, Nutella, lemon curd, or prune preserves. Each bite delightfully combines the soft and crispy texture of the cookie with the sweet fruity filling. Traditional fillings like raspberry, apricot, or cherry jam give these cookies a delightful old-world charm.
Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
These delightful strawberry shortbread cookies are the perfect treat for spring and summer. Shortbread is a classic cookie that is simple to make, yet turns out impressively tasty every time. The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth dough comes together in just minutes.
What makes these shortbread cookies extra special is the addition of fresh strawberries. Chopped strawberries get mixed right into the dough, providing pockets of bright, juicy berry flavor in every bite. The strawberry juices also create beautiful streaks of red throughout the golden cookie dough.
Strawberry Shortbread Bars
This recipe takes that melt-in-your-mouth shortbread and turns it into easy, delicious bars. The buttery dough comes together quickly, then gets pressed into a pan and baked until lightly golden. To make them extra special, the shortbread is topped with juicy fresh strawberries.
The berries are tossed in sugar to draw out their sweet juices before being arranged in a single layer over the crust. As the bars bake, the strawberry juice creates a light glaze over the shortbread for even more flavor. The result is simple but elegant – a shortbread with a pretty fruit topping.
Linzer Cookies
These ornate fruit-filled cookies originated in Austria but their popularity has spread around the world. Shortbread dough is rolled out and cut into rounds. Half the cookies get holes cut into them, while the other halves remain intact.
During baking, the cookies puff up and turn deliciously golden brown. Once cooled, they are sandwiched together with a flavorful raspberry jam in between. The jam peeks through the holes on the top cookie, making for a beautifully decorated cookie.
Cream Cheese Jam Pinwheel Cookies
This creates an incredibly soft, rich cookie dough that’s a delight to work with. The dough is then rolled out flat and spread with a layer of bright, fruity jam – raspberry and apricot are perfect choices. Next, the dough is rolled up jelly-roll style to create a beautiful spiral pattern.
The logs are chilled, and then sliced to reveal the colorful pinwheel design in each cookie. As they bake, the jam melts just slightly for an extra punch of sweet, tangy fruit flavor. Each pinwheel cookie is like a mini work of art swirled with raspberry or apricot jam.
Almond Jamaretti Cookies
A delicious almond-flavored cookie dough is rolled into balls and baked until lightly golden. The cookies are then indented with a thumb or spoon to create a little well. This is filled with a dollop of sweet jam – raspberry and apricot are traditional favorites that pair wonderfully with almonds.
The contrast of flavors and textures is simply delightful. Each cookie offers a crispy, nutty shell giving way to the soft jam center. The almond cookie dough itself has a wonderful fragrance and rich nutty taste that enhances the fruitiness of the jam.
Oatmeal Jam Bars
For a fun twist on classic oatmeal cookies, try these delicious oatmeal jam bars. They take the beloved oatmeal cookie flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats and turn them into easy bar cookies.
As the bars bake, the jam layer bubbles up between the oats for pretty swirls of fruit. The results are simple, rustic-style bars packed with oatmeal goodness and sweet bursts of jam. Each bite delivers that distinctive oatmeal cookie taste along with pockets of bright jam.
Apricot Pockets
Crescent roll dough forms the base for these handheld treats. The dough is spread with a layer of sweet apricot jam, then folded into pockets sealing in the filling. As they bake, the pockets turn golden brown and flaky while the jam inside warms up into a gooey, delicious center.
The crescent roll dough bakes up so flaky and buttery, providing the perfect complement to the sweet-tart apricot jam. Each bite melts in your mouth, surrounding your tastebuds with apricot flavor. The jam filling also provides a lovely pop of orange color visible through the cracks in the dough.
Apricot Shortbread Bars
Shortbread is the perfect base with its rich, buttery taste and texture that just melts in your mouth. The easy dough comes together in minutes then is pressed into a pan and topped with a generous layer of apricot jam. The jam creates a sweet fruity topping that works perfectly with the shortbread crust.
As the bars bake, the juices from the jam are absorbed a bit into the shortbread, creating lovely swirled patterns of orange apricots. The results are rustic, beautiful bar cookies that celebrate the natural flavors of buttery shortbread and tart apricot jam.
Jam Filled Donuts
Traditional raspberry and strawberry jams are always crowd-pleasers, with their bright flavors and colors. Apricot, blackberry, and blueberry jams are also delicious options. As you bite into each donut, the filling oozes out for the perfect jammy surprise in every bite.
This recipe does involve some steps like proofing the yeast and frying, but the results are so worth it. Homemade donuts beat any bakery and the jam filling provides next-level flavor. These donuts are absolutely heaven topped with a vanilla glaze or simply dusted with powdered sugar.
Crostata di Marmellata (Italian Jam Tart)
The beauty of crostata is its simple free-form crust – easy to shape by hand with no fuss. The buttery, flaky dough is filled with your choice of glistening jam. Traditional options like strawberry, apricot, and cherry let the fruit shine.
As it bakes, the jam bubbles up beautifully through openings in the crust for a rustic, homespun charm. Each slice is a delightful contrast of textures – the crisp, flaky pastry and the smooth luxurious jam. The simple crust also serves as a lovely foundation that doesn’t overpower the star jam filling.
Strawberry Jam Cake
Strawberry jam is mixed into the cake batter itself, creating lovely swirls of fruit throughout. More jam goes into the fluffy cream cheese frosting for pretty pink streaks. With jam in the cake and frosting, every bite bursts with a sweet, tangy strawberry taste.
The cake has such a fresh fruit flavor that’s perfectly balanced by the rich cream cheese frosting. Glazed berries on top make for an extra pop of color and added texture. This cake is sure to be a hit at picnics, potlucks, or summer birthdays.
Jam Bars
These classic jam bars are a beloved, easy treat that celebrates the sweet flavors of fruit jam. The simple shortbread dough comes together quickly by hand or in a food processor. It is then pressed into a pan and topped with your favorite jams – strawberry, raspberry, and apricot are perfect choices.
As the bars bake, the jam layer bubbles up for a sweet fruity topping over the buttery shortbread crust. The contrast of textures is wonderful – the crisp, sandy shortbread with the smooth, melted jam. Each bar offers layers of rich buttery flavor and bright jammy sweetness in every bite.
Raspberry Jam Swirl Cake
This dessert is not only a treat for the taste buds but also an eye-catcher with its beautiful swirls of raspberry jam on top. The recipe is easy to follow and requires minimal ingredients such as flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, and raspberry jam.
One can even substitute raspberry jam with their favorite flavor. The combination of the tender crumb of the cake and the gooey raspberry jam is what makes this dessert a must-try. Raspberry Jam Swirl Cake is versatile and can be served as a dessert for a party or an afternoon tea.
Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies are a classic dessert that combines the butteriness of shortbread cookies with the sweetness of jam. These cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a delicate thumbprint in the center that is filled with a dollop of your favorite flavor of jam.
This recipe is a perfect treat for any occasion, whether for a family get-together or a simple afternoon snack. The combination of the buttery, crumbly cookie, with the fruity, sweet jam in the center, is simply irresistible. The dough is easy to make and can be customized to suit your taste.
Sponge Kisses AKA Powder Puffs
Sponge Kisses, also known as Powder Puffs, are delightful little treats that are perfect for any occasion. These small, airy, and light-as-a-feather cakes are incredibly versatile and can be served with jam, cream, or any other topping of your choice.
The recipe is simple and requires only a few ingredients such as sugar, flour, and eggs, but the secret to making these delicious treats is to whisk the eggs until they are fluffy and frothy, and then fold in the dry ingredients gently.
Vegan Jam Tarts
A crunchy, flaky crust made with vegan butter wraps around vibrant fruit jam for a beautiful presentation. The jam possibilities are endless – cherry, blueberry, strawberry, and apricot are just a few options that burst with sweet, tangy flavors.
Each bite punctuates the crisp pastry with a lush fruit jam center. Making the tarts vegan is easy with plant-based butter and egg replacements like aquafaba or flax eggs. The results are deliciously flavored tarts that just happen to be dairy-free.
Jam Filled Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes
The cupcakes start with a moist and tender vanilla cake base, perfect for highlighting fruit flavors. A core is carved out of each cooled cupcake, then filled with your choice of glistening jams like strawberry, raspberry, apricot, or blackberry.
As you bite into the cupcake, the jam filling provides a fun surprise! Strawberry jam oozes out against the backdrop of vanilla cake for a dynamic duo. The cupcakes are then topped with silky vanilla buttercream frosting piped into pretty swirls. The frosting balances the sweet tartness of the jam nicely.
Toast & Jam Ice Cream
Toast & Jam Ice Cream is a unique twist on the traditional ice cream recipe that combines the flavor of your favorite jam with toasted bread. This recipe is the perfect combination of sweet and savory, with a creamy texture that is sure to satisfy your taste buds.
It is made from a mixture of cream, sugar, and a few slices of toasted bread blended together until smooth. Once the mixture is chilled, the jam is swirled in, creating a beautiful marbled effect. The flavor of this ice cream is truly divine.
Tomato Jam and Cheddar Palmiers
The recipe is relatively simple, as it involves just a few ingredients: puff pastry, cheddar cheese, tomato jam, and a few herbs and spices for seasoning. The result is a beautiful, golden pastry that is both crunchy and tender at the same time.
The combination of flavors in this recipe is truly delightful. The savory cheddar cheese brings out the sweetness of the tomato jam, and the herbs and spices add an extra layer of flavor that makes these palmiers stand out.
We are a team of passionate moms and homemakers. Among us are certified nutritionists, chefs, certified food handlers, accountants, financial gurus, and other professionals. Our joint goal is to educate homemakers. Check out the about us page for more information about our team’s credentials.