Jumbles

Ingredients

• butter
• sugar
• 1 egg
• soda
• milk
• salt
• flour
• currant jelly

Method

Cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy — this takes about 3–4 minutes with an electric mixer. You're incorporating air into the fat, which gives the cookies their crumb. Beat the egg in thoroughly; don't rush this stage or the emulsion will break and your dough will be grainy.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk — it will fizz slightly. Add this to the creamed mixture and fold it in gently; the soda reacts with the dairy acid to create carbon dioxide, which leavens the dough and gives jumbles their characteristic light texture. Fold in the salt and flour until just combined into a soft dough. Do not overwork; gluten development will make them tough rather than tender.

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Cold dough is easier to shape and holds its form better during baking. Once firm, roll out thinly — roughly 3mm — and cut rounds using a biscuit cutter. On half the rounds, place a small spoonful of currant jelly in the centre. Using a thimble or the end of a wooden spoon handle, punch three evenly spaced holes through the remaining rounds; these act as a lid and allow the filling to show through.

Sandwich the jelly-topped round with a holed round, pressing the edges gently so they adhere without flattening the whole biscuit. The sandwich construction keeps the fruit filling enclosed and creates visual interest when baked.

Bake at 200°C until the edges turn a light golden-brown and the biscuits hold their shape without being soft — roughly 12–15 minutes depending on your oven. The jelly will bubble slightly at the holes; this is correct. Remove whilst still pale, as they'll firm further as they cool. Overbaking turns them crisp and bitter; underbaking leaves them greasy and they'll collapse.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature.