Easy Jam Gems - A Vintage Recipe from Grandma's Kitchen

 

I have a vintage recipe to share with you today from one of my Vintage Cookery Books. I have a great love for these old recipes and books. They are filled with recipes that are real gems!  Basic, solid, old-fashioned recipes that use simple ingredients, equipment and methods. 

This Vintage Jam Gem recipe comes from Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook which was originally published in 1956. I was only one year old then, so that lets you know how old these recipes are!

Back in the day, the word "Gem" was used to describe a small muffin or quick bread.  Muffin tins were also referred to as "Gem Tins."  Gems were not meant to be the overly large and "cake-like" muffins that we often see today and which are sold in modern day coffee shops.

 

They were much smaller in size and quite wholesome in comparison.  These Jam Gems are pretty much a drop biscuit (not cookie, but a small quick bread similar to a scone,) which is dropped into a muffin tin and filled with a dab of sweet jam. They rely on a very basic biscuit dough, which goes together quickly and easily and which is dropped from a spoon into the muffin/gem tin.

 The batter itself is not a sweetened batter. Instead, any sweetness comes from the jam used and the quick and easy drizzle icing which is applied while they are still warm from the oven.

These would be a really delicious addition to any family breakfast, and I can see them being enjoyed along with a weekend breakfast of crisp bacon, scrambled eggs and juice. I can well imagine that eyes would light up at the sight of them!  They may not be really pretty, but they sure do taste good! I hope that you will be inspired to want to bake some for your own family and that you enjoy them as much as I did!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE VINTAGE JAM GEMS

Simple, every-day baking cupboard staples. 

For the Drop Biscuit Dough:

• 2cups plain all purpose flour, sifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup (80ml) light olive, canola, or sunflower oil
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk

You will also need:

• 1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam

For the icing:

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• enough milk to make a thin drizzle icing

 

If all you have is self-rising flour you could use it in this recipe. Just omit any baking powder or salt required as the self-rising flour will already contain it.

I used light olive oil, which is light in color and flavor, but still contains many of the health properties of extra virgin olive oil.  

Whole milk is what they would have used back in the day.

You can use any kind of jam which you have and which you enjoy. Marmalade would be nice as would lemon curd.  On this particular day I used strawberry jam. Bonne Maman.  If you have homemade jam, so much the better!

HOW TO 

MAKE VINTAGE JAM GEMS

Nothing could be quicker or easier.  Very little effort is needed.

1. Preheat oven to 450*F/ 230*C/ gas mark 7. Butter a 12-cup medium muffin tin, or two 6-cup medium muffin tins really well. (I used ceramic muffin cups that looked very much like vintage muffin or gem tins.)
2. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder and salt. (This will help to distribute the baking powder evenly into the flour.)
3. Measure the oil and milk into a measuring cup without stirring. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients. (I am not sure why you don't whisk the two together but trust me when I tell you it works perfectly as written. Resist the urge to mix the two.)
4. Mix together with a fork until the mixture cleans the side of the bowl. Drop this mixture (it will be stiff) into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
5. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a dip in the center of each muffin/biscuit.
6. Drop 1/2 tsp of jam into the dip. (Do not overfill.)
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They will be golden brown when done.
8. Frost with the drizzle frosting while still warm.
9. To make the drizzle frosting, whisk the icing sugar together with just enough milk to give you a thick icing that you can drizzle over top of the muffins. (Whisk in any liquid a little bit at a time so that you don't over-thin it.)

WHY I LIKE 

VINTAGE RECIPES

AND VINTAGE COOKERY BOOKS

• They remind me of my childhood and all the wonderful generations of women who came before me.
• They are largely unpretentious and use simple everyday ingredients.
• They do not require unusual or special equipment or techniques to execute them.
• They are usually very economical and fit within affordable budgetary requirements.
• There is nothing "faddish" about them. They do not follow the whims of popularity.
• They are made from scratch, without the use of a lot of processed ingredients.

 

REASONS WHY YOU

WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS RECIPE

• It uses simple and uncomplicated ingredients. I am betting you already have everything you need to make this in your kitchen right now.
• It goes together very quickly and easily without a lot of effort.
• You can easily adapt it to any kind of fruit jam or marmalade you have in the house and enjoy. You could even use lemon curd, which would be exceptionally delicious!
• It is the type of thing that you grandmother might have baked for her family. Simple and unpretentious whilst at the same time being very delicious.

 

I broke one open to show you. You can see it in the lower right-hand corner of the plate. Just look at how fluffy the interior of the biscuit gems look!!  They may not be beautiful, but they sure are fabulously tasty! 

A FEW OTHER

VINTAGE TEATIME RECIPES

YOU MIGHT ENJOY 

VINTAGE BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE - Step back in time with this rich, golden cake inspired by a recipe in the 1941 Prairie Farmer Cookbook. Infused with the deep, caramel warmth of brown sugar and topped with gooey, baked marshmallows that melt into a sticky, crunchy meringue-like layer on top.  Simple, unpretentious, and perfect served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.  Old-fashioned goodness in every mouthful!

VINTAGE CONDENSED MILK FRUITED SCONE LOAF - This delicious tea loaf will transport you back to the cozy kitchens of the 1950's. First published in Women's Weekly in 1956 what you have here is a delicious, fruited tea bread which is generously studded with stick sultanas and jewel-like glace cherries. A sturdy loaf, it is perfect cut into thin slices, slathered with butter, and enjoyed along with a hot cup of tea and a quiet moment. Irresistibly old fashioned, this is the type of bake that feels like a warm hug from the past.

 

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Yield: 12 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Jam Gems

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

A vintage recipe for an old style biscuit that gets dropped into a muffin tin and filled with jam prior to baking to golden perfection. An optional drizzle icing is applied before serving.

Ingredients

For the Drop Biscuit Dough:

• 2cups plain all purpose flour, sifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup (80ml) light olive, canola, or sunflower oil
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk

You will also need:

• 1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam

For the icing:

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• enough milk to make a thin drizzle icing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450*F/ 230*C/ gas mark 7. Butter a 12-cup medium muffin tin, or two 6-cup medium muffin tins really well.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder and salt.
3. Measure the oil and milk into a measuring cup without stirring. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix together with a fork until the mixture cleans the side of the bowl. Drop this mixture (it will be stiff) into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
5. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a dip in the center of each muffin/biscuit.
6. Drop 1/2 tsp of jam into the dip. (Do not overfill.)
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They will be golden brown when done.
8. Frost with the drizzle frosting while still warm.
9. To make the drizzle frosting, whisk the icing sugar together with just enough milk to give you a thick icing that you can drizzle over top of the muffins.

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