These delicious little jam turnovers are a cross between a biscuit and a tart. They are made with a crispy buttery pastry and just enough jam in the centre to satisfy your sugar cravings but without being too sweet.
**As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.**
I was a bit unsure about what to call this recipe. I dithered between jam puffs and jam turnovers. Eventually, I decided on jam turnovers because jam puffs sound as though they are made with puff pastry.
These jam turnovers are made with homemade shortcrust pastry, but if you want to skip that and use store-bought shortcrust pastry (or indeed store-bought puff pastry instead) I’m sure they will taste just as good.
Why you will love these jam turnovers
I think you are going to love this recipe for jam turnovers.
- They are extremely easy to make. Just whip up a batch of buttery homemade pastry, roll it out and cut it into circles, add a dollop of jam, seal and bake for 15 minutes. Job done!
- They are economical. This recipe makes 36 or more jam turnovers, but you only need a scant half teaspoon of jam for each filling.
- They don’t take long to bake. One batch of jam turnovers only takes 15 minutes in the oven. If you have 2 large baking trays you can bake the whole lot in one go.
- They are not too sweet. Even though jam is used as a filling, there is not too much jam. Just enough to add a slight element of sweetness to the pastry.
- You can use whatever jam you happen to have in your pantry. You don’t have to buy anything special to make these little jam tarts – just use up the last half bottle of whatever jam you happen to have.
- You can easily sweeten them if you prefer a little more sweetness. Simply sprinkle with granulated sugar before they go into the oven or dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- They are a great bake to make with the family. Now that school holidays are upon us, this is a great recipe for an afternoon’s baking with the family.
And did I mention, this is the most delicious soft buttery pastry? Softer than a biscuit, but buttery enough to melt in your mouth!
Here’s how to make them:
What you will need
Equipment
For mixing the pastry you will need a large mixing bowl. I like this earthenware bowl because you can get your hands in to mix the pastry without the flour spilling out all over the table. And for rolling out the pastry you will need a rolling pin.
To cut the pastry into rounds you will need a scone/pastry cutter. I’ve included an Amazon link so you can see what they look like, but to be perfectly honest, if you live in the UK, you can pick up a set at Poundland (which is what I’ve used 🙂 ). And if you don’t have any you could also use a wide-mouthed drinking glass – about 3 inches in diameter.
For baking the turnovers you will need one or two baking sheets and a roll of baking parchment. Baking parchment is essential, because these little jam turnovers WILL leak jam when they bake, and there’s not much worse than scraping burned-on jam off a baking sheet!
Ingredients
This recipe makes about 36 jam turnovers if you use a 3-inch diameter cutter.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making jam turnovers on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Flour – this is plain flour – not self-raising flour. There is no rising agent needed for this recipe.
Butter – use unsalted butter if possible and add salt to taste. If you only have salted butter, that will be fine, but don’t add any extra salt to the pastry.
Salt – a scant half-teaspoon unless you are using salted butter, in which case leave out the salt.
Sugar – because this is a sweet dish I’ve added a small amount of sugar to the pastry. If you prefer, you can leave it out. Leaving the sugar out won’t affect the texture of the pastry – it just won’t have the sweetness.
Water – depending on the strength of your flour you will need between 4 and 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water for every 2 cups of flour. Start with 4 tablespoons and add the extra water only if the dough doesn’t come together in a shaggy ball.
Jam – you can use your preferred jam for this recipe. I used strawberry jam and for 36 turnovers I used approximately 225 grams (which works out to about 8 ounces) of jam. I would recommend that you use smooth jam rather than jam with bits of whole fruit in it, so that you can fit it nicely into the turnovers.
What to do
Start off by making the pastry.
Place the flour, salt (if using) and sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the cubed butter.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the butter has all been incorporated and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add most of the water and mix with a spatula until the mixture starts to come together in a shaggy ball. Add the remaining water only if the mixture seems too dry.
Tip the mixture out onto your work surface and gently press it together until it forms a soft disk. Do not knead or overwork the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Now assemble the turnovers.
Cut the dough in half and roll it out to one-eighth inch thickness. Using a 3″ cutter, cut the dough into circles.
Place a scant half teaspoon of your preferred jam onto each circle.
Fold the dough over the jam and use a fork to seal the edges.
Place the turnovers on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, prick them with a fork and brush with lightly beaten egg.
Repeat with the other half of the pastry.
The scraps of pastry from both batches can be combined and re-rolled to make more turnovers. You should get around 36 turnovers in total.
Here are a few pointers to look out for when forming these turnovers.
- Do not add too much jam – a scant half teaspoon is more than sufficient. If you overfill the turnovers the jam will leak out in the oven which is a waste.
- When sealing the turnovers with a fork, press firmly but gently and try not to make holes in the pastry or the jam will leak out in the oven.
- Do line the baking sheet with baking parchment. Even if you do not overfill the turnovers, you will still get a small amount of jam leaking out, and you don’t want to be scrubbing burned-on jam off your baking tray.
Bake the turnovers in a preheated oven (190C / 375F) for 15 minutes or until the turnovers are nicely browned.
Remove the tray from the oven and allow the turnovers to cool. If any jam has leaked you can move the turnovers away from the jam once they are cool enough to handle, to prevent them sticking. Do take care not to burn yourself – the jam will be hot and sticky.
Let the turnovers cool completely before eating.
If you’d like to be notified of any new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? As a thank-you gift, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.
Tips for making pastry
I love making pastry – and with the exception of puff pastry (which is a bit of a faff to make), I always make my own. It’s easy to make if you know how.
Here are a few tips that will help ensure that your pastry always turns out perfectly.
- Keep all the ingredients as cold as possible. It might be tempting to use room-temperature butter because it rubs into the flour more easily, but butter straight from the fridge will yield a lighter pastry.
- Lift the flour and butter above the bowl and rub them with your fingertips, allowing them to fall back into the bowl before repeating the movement. This will incorporate air into the dough, resulting in a lighter pastry.
- Use ice-cold water for mixing the pastry. This helps prevent the butter from softening too much.
- Handle the dough as little as possible and never knead the pastry dough. It is the act of kneading the dough that activates the gluten in the flour which in turn leads to the pastry being tough.
- Always let your pastry rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This will relax the gluten and ensure that the pastry does not shrink as it bakes. Resting the pastry also gives the butter time to harden which yields a crispier end result.
- Do not add all the water at once. The amount of water you will need will be different with each batch of flour. Keep at least one tablespoon of water aside and only add it if the pastry seems too dry. Remember – you can put water in, but you can’t take it out!
Jam turnovers FAQ
If you store the turnovers in an airtight container in the kitchen they will stay fresh for up to 4 days – after that they will start to turn stale.
You can freeze the baked jam turnovers in plastic freezer container. Pack them in layers with a sheet of baking parchment in between each layer.
Freeze for up to 4 months and allow to defrost and come to room temperature before eating.
Any smooth jam will be suitable for this recipe – I used strawberry, but you could use apricot, peach or plum to name but a few.
If your oven is large enough you can certainly bake two trays of jam turnovers at the same time. Place the trays on two shelves one above the other. Bake for 10 minutes and then open the oven and swap the position of the trays. Bake for the remaining 5 to 7 minutes.
Swapping the trays over will ensure the turnovers brown evenly.
Save for later
If you would like to make these jam turnovers yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
Here are a few other easy baking recipes you may like to try:
- Blueberry cream cheese Danish pastries – tangy blueberries and tasty cream cheese baked in crispy puff pastry.
- Puff pastry custard slices with creme patissiere – store-bought puff pastry slices with a creamy homemade custard filling.
- Fresh pear cream slice – a scrumptious dessert cake made with pears and fresh cream.
- Easy coconut macaroons – if you have some coconut, eggs, sugar and chocolate you can whip these tasty treats up in minutes.
The recipe
Jam turnovers
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces / 225 grams smooth jam of your choice
- 2 cups / 280 grams plain flour not self-raising
- 7 ounces / 200 grams unsalted butter cubed
- ½ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
- 3 tablespoons / 40 grams caster sugar
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
- 1 small egg for egg-wash
Instructions
- Place the flour, salt (if using) and sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the cubed butter.2 cups / 280 grams plain flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons / 40 grams caster sugar, 7 ounces / 200 grams unsalted butter
- Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the butter has all been incorporated and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add most of the water and mix with a spatula until the mixture starts to come together in a shaggy ball. Add the remaining water only if the mixture seems too dry.4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
- Tip the mixture out onto your work surface and gently press it together until it forms a soft disk. Do not knead or overwork the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F
- Cut the dough in half and roll it out to one-eighth inch thickness. Using a 3" cutter, cut the dough into circles.
- Place a scant half teaspoon of your preferred jam onto each circle.8 ounces / 225 grams smooth jam of your choice
- Fold the dough over the jam and use a fork to seal the edges.
- Place the turnovers on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, prick them with a fork and brush with lightly beaten egg.1 small egg
- Bake for 15 – 17 minutes or until the turnovers are golden brown.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the turnovers to cool. If any jam has leaked you can move the turnovers away from the jam once they are cool enough to handle, to prevent them sticking. Do take care not to burn yourself – the jam will be hot and sticky.
- Let the turnovers cool completely before eating.
Notes
- Do not add too much jam – a scant half teaspoon is more than sufficient. If you overfill the turnovers the jam will leak out in the oven which is a waste.
- When sealing the turnovers with a fork, press firmly but gently and try not to make holes in the pastry or the jam will leak out in the oven.
- Do line the baking sheet with baking parchment. Even if you do not overfill the turnovers, you will still get a small amount of jam leaking out, and you don’t want to be scrubbing burned-on jam off your baking tray.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I’d love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you’d like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you’d like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Leave a Reply