Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 dozen bars
- 1cup/230 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1cup/205 grams granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1large egg yolk
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour (see Tip)
- 2teaspoons ground cardamom
- 8tablespoons strawberry jam or any red fruit jam, such raspberry or red currant
- 1lemon, for zest
- 2tablespoons chopped nuts, such as slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pistachios
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting over the top
Dough (or Use Half-batch of Butter Shortbread Dough)
For Finishing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
161 calories; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 80 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Butter a 9-inch square metal baking pan and line the bottom and two sides with long strips of parchment, leaving a 1-inch of overhang and creasing the parchment to fit snugly into the pan.
- Step 2
Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on low speed until incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. (Do not beat until fluffy, you don’t need to incorporate air into the dough.) Add the yolk and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Step 3
Add the flour to the bowl all at once and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. The dough will be in large crumbles.
- Step 4
(If you’re starting with a half batch of Butter Shortbread Dough, start here.) Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the ground cardamom and mix with your fingers to incorporate it into the dough. Remove 1 cup of the crumbled dough to a small bowl and refrigerate. Transfer the remaining dough to the buttered pan and flatten into an even layer by pressing into the pan using the flat bottom of a glass. Bake on the middle rack until the edges are golden brown and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan slightly, for at least 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Spread the fruit jam in an even layer over the surface of the crust. Zest the lemon right over the top of the jam, and sprinkle with the chopped nuts and reserved crumble. Return to the oven and bake, rotating once, until the top is golden brown and the jam is sizzling around the edges, about 35 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, at least 1½ hours. Run a knife along the edges to release the sides. Use the parchment to lift the cookie out of the pan onto a cutting board. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut the cookie into 4 strips, then cut each strip into six 1-inch wide bars.
Tip
- If using volume measurements, using a spoon, fluff and scoop the flour into a measuring cup, then scrape with a straight edge to level the surface. This will help prevent adding too much flour which can yield overly crumbly dough.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
C L
Referencing the other recipes associated with the shortbread base, baking temp should be 350. I did 365 as my oven runs a bit cool. Delicious and easy recipe! Brought this to a picnic and received many compliments and recipe requests. Next time I want to try mixing the cardamom in the flour so the spice gets distributed more evenly.
Amy M
Think I'll try the cardamom in my mom's old recipe for a cookie that looks like this. The method is much simpler: You melt the butter and mix the dough by hand - very easy. You don't prebake the bottom crust (would end up way too brown after double baking.) Just spread jam on the raw crust, crumble on the topping, and bake for 35 minutes at 350. The amount of butter in the dough makes greasing or lining the pan unnecessary in my experience. (Google "easy jam squares" for recipes like mine.)
Charlotte
After launching my Christmas cookie baking this year with the NYTCardamom-Walnut Crescents, I realized too late my ground cardamom was flavorless dust. I did not want to make the mistake with this recipe. In any case, my ground cardamom had since gone in the trash. I used 1 tsp of freshly ground green cardamom & found it to be the right amount. My husband who is from India & appreciates proper spices & spicing agreed. Watch out for old/expired/flavorless ground spices in your holiday baking!
Carl Moseley
What temperature should the oven be set for?
J R
I have a full jar of peach preserves I’d like to get rid of. Could I use this instead of “red jam” and would peach + cardamom + lemon zest be too weird? ;-)
Dee
Based on other reviews, I doubled the cardamom and baked the base for 15 mins before adding toppings. With these adjustments, they turned out delicious and festive-looking, with great textures. I lined the pan with parchment as instructed, and the result was that the fruit jam adhered to the parchment as it baked. I spent too long attempting to peel parchment off the edges of the bake before giving up and cutting off the edges. To avoid, don't spread the jam all the way to the edges of the pan.
ann
More cardamom, more jam
Marilyn
1 cup/230 grams is two sticks of butter. Sounds as though you may have misread the recipe. (No judgment, I did the same earlier this week where I only added 2 cups of flour to a recipe that calls for 2.5; luckily I caught the issue before baking.)
Sarah
These are absolutely delicious. I didn’t have ground cardamom or strawberry jam on hand but I did have chai masala and red currant jam— perfect. I think you could get creative with a lot of different spice/jam combos and be very happy with the results. Super easy, even for a very scatterbrained baker like myself. I was very generous with the lemon zest and my friends all loved the added zing. Hardest part was protecting it from my husband for 1.5 hours as it cooled.
Marisa
Made mine with cinnamon and raspberry jam. Wow, so delicious. I'm definitely adding this one to my holiday cookie collection.
Anna
So good! A few tweaks for next time: zest the lemon into the jam and mix before spreading; more pistachios
ann
More jam, more cardamom
zoz
I used 3 medium egg yolks rather than 2 large egg yolks after having made a rather dry first batch. I also used a 9in. x 12in. metal pan and decreased the cooking time (22 minutes for first bake, 30 minutes for final bake) and they turned out to be the best of the bunch (I've made Sparkling shortbread and Salty Caramel & Peanut Butter cookies thus far). I used Lingonberry jam, lemon zest, and crushed pistachios. I may not have enough for the neighbors!
Sandy J
I made this today but increased cardamom and almost doubled the jam. ( add enough jam so it’s a thick layer) . Since my granddaughters school is nut free it was easy leaving out the nuts. And I forgot to add the zest. Cookies are great! Strong taste of cardamom and enough jam. Also made the basic cookie batch rolled in nonpareils since I already had them and the chocolate and flavored layer cookies using the other half batch and then another half.
suz
metal conducts heat better. if you use glass you may wind up with an undercooked bottom or a burnt top
Spotsy
Has anyone used vegan butter in this recipe and had success?
cattails
Really delicious. I made my own strawb jam and ground my own cardamom (~1 teaspoon which I found to be plenty and think bumped-up the cardamom note). I was a bit skeptical of the dough recipe since I'm accustomed to shortbread asking for cold/near frozen butter, but this was tender, caky, and very flavorful.
Cindy
Double cardamom in the dough with the butter and sugar. As others have noted, double jam. But also double pistachios. I baked in a 9x9 metal pan because I like thicker bars. It’s a winner!
Tracy
Like others, I added the cardamom to the flour and the zest to the jam. I agree with those recommendations. I thought it could use more jam and more nuts. I used pistachios, and didn’t really notice them. I would dial back or skip the cardamom unless you are a huge fan. I used only 1-1/2 tsps, which was the right amount for me. My kids were not fans of the taste. Also, I would cook the base layer for less time. It was quite firm.
Joe
Definitely increase the cardamom, I’d suggest ~1.5x the amount. I also increased the jam, I used an entire 9oz jar and felt it was just the right amount. Unfortunately, the initial pre-bake of the crust resulted in slightly burnt bottoms by the end (I followed bake times as written, and used an oven thermometer to ensure temperature accuracy). Next time I’d try what someone else suggested and just bake for 15 minutes before adding toppings.
hullfg
One easy way to make these cookies is to divide the dough into several balls and roll each part into a thick, snake-like shape. Put the "snake" onto the cookie sheet and flatten somewhat. Along the length of the dough create a slight depression in the middle. Spread jam into the depression. Bake (350??). When the cookies are done, cut the "snake," now more flat, diagonally, into two-bite sized strips. This has the taste as the two-layer version but is easier to produce.
Chiromom24
Heavenly with Bonne Mamam Four Fruit Preserves and chopped Pistachio nuts for a holiday treat!
Nancy S.
Delicious cardamom pastry. I was a little generous with the cardamom based on comments by others (2.5 tsp). I didn't have strawberry jam so made my own from strawberries and honey. It was double the amount the recipe called for, so I have to second the others' recommendation to increase jam. It worked well. Used pistachios for the nuts. I think rhubarb jam or lemon curd would be great with this.
Vicki
Beating/Mixer NOT necessary; and mixing by hand results in a more tender shortbread crust. Butter must be very soft.
Anna
So good! A few tweaks for next time: zest the lemon into the jam and mix before spreading; more pistachios
MD
Can this bar be frozen or made in advance?
G, BK
Some of the previous comments said the base may get overcooked following the recipe. I make shortbread frequently, and was a little concerned that it came out more brown than I would expect -- BUT it's one of my favorite things about these bars! The bottom crust softens slightly when rebaked with the toppings, resulting in a subtle snap to the bite (not at all crunchy or shatter-y). I also like that the jam as called for isn't too thick or gooey. Like a linzer cookie in bar form!
G, BK
These are very tasty, and not complicated to make. But there is virtually no discernable cardamom flavor! I used the called-for amount of freshly ground cardamom and stirred it into the flour as others suggested. Next time I may try the extra step of first making a cardamom butter and using that (a trick I learned from a Samantha Seneviratne recipe elsewhere for cardamom-pistachio cookies).
Sujata
This cookie is so delicious and buttery! Everyone who tasted it loved it. I try to use not-so-sweet jam and pistachios ,which really make it a very delicious cookie for people who don't usually like sweets.
nch
For the filing instead if using jam, I cooked 500 grams (a generous pound) of red and black currants with 1/2 cup sugar and thickened it with 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch. Delightful.
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