Shortbread Jammers Recipe (2024)

I made this recipe last week and it called for a 13x9-inch pan. (Hence, the note about the "long side.") I opened the recipe to make the shortbread jammers again today (they were delicious) and noticed that they changed the pan dimensions to 8x8. It seems they neglected to edit the preparation instructions.

Can't imagine why the food editors would think this recipe works better in an 8 x 8 pan than in a 9 x 13. Like other commenters, I first tried an 8 x 8 with disastrous results. It was not done even after baking for 50 minutes. In a 9 x 13, it baked perfectly in 35.

KJH is right. We recently retested the recipe, and we felt an 8x8 pan worked better. I've updated the rest of the instructions/yield accordingly.

Hi All. If you have recently retested the recipe and updated it it would have been great if you could add some translation for the rest of the world. ie METRIC weights and measures I tell my American husband regularly that the inability to modernise and join the rest of the world in using Metric must have cost the USA billions in the years since you failed to follow President Jimmy Carter’s lead besides ruining millions of recipes with imprecision AND crashing the Mars rocket!!

Multiplied ingredients by 1.5 (except for sugar, I used only 1 cup) and really mounded the 1.5 tsp of (sea) salt. Pressed into a 9x13 pan, and the shortbread was perfect at exactly 35 minutes. Used homemade raspberry jam (made with brown sugar instead of white, and juice of half a lime). The recipe made 18 squares, and my two roommates took care of them within 48 hours.

I used the 8x8 pan size and followed the recipe exactly. I’m not sure what I did differently than those who were having trouble, but mine were tender, rich, and delicious after it totally set (it can take awhile). I used a glass pan, cut parchment to fit the bottom, and weighed my flour. When done, I covered the pan with a cookie sheet and flipped it so it popped out. I peeled off the parchment, and sandwiched the shortbread between another cookie sheet to flip it right-side up again.

I have some insight into the "pan size" debate below. We've made this twice in the last week, first in the 8X8 pan. They were delicious, but a little thick. Next time we did it in a 9X9 glass pan and they came out perfect! 9X13 would be too big.

Made this delicious shortbread with 2 modifications: added a thinnish layer of grated dark chocolate to top of shortbread before baking + homemade blackberry jam, then baked 35 minutes. It was sublime. Took this shortbread on a long hike and it was a huge hit with other hikers. Jam wasn't as runny because it was baked. chocolate melded beautifully with shortbread. Only drawback: huge calorie bomb & extremely rich, but don't know how I would make this w/o that much butter.

I followed the directions exactly and baked the shortbread an extra 5 minutes until the edges were nicely golden, but it competely disintegrated when I turned it out of the pan. Very very soft and obviously far from done. Tragic because the dough tastes delicious. I think this needs to be baked significantly longer than 35 minutes. This is the 2nd time I've made a NYTimes pastry recipe with a very incorrect cooking time (noted not just by me but other commenters).

Made this today - delicious! I used a 9x13 pan as recommended by others and I couldn't be more pleased.

Just made these, and they're delicious.Many others commented to use a 9x13 instead of an 8x8. I multiplied all the ingredients by 1.5 and baked for 35 minutes. Turned out perfectly.

Really yummy! Only made the shortbread base, and served with lemon curd (https://food52.com/recipes/21323-caroline-j-beck-s-6-minute-meyer-lemon-olive-oil-custard).I used a 7x11 pan to make the shortbread thinner, but still had to bake for 35 minutes to get the edges golden brown. Added ~1 tsp lemon zest to the batter, and topped with sea salt after baking to cut some of the sweetness. Next time, I'll lower the sugar to maybe 1/2 cup (or slightly more) and add a bit more salt to the batter.

If it's an 8 x 8 pan, how can there be a "long side" from which to cut?

The shortbread is good although a little sweet. The jam feels like it doesn’t add much interest.

Fantastic! Made as directed and used Kerrygold butter and Bonne Maman mixed berry jam. Not as sweet as I expected, which is a good thing. The hint of salt is nice. This is an easy and satisfying recipe.

1.5x the recipe for 9x13 glass pan. Used cornmeal in place of some of the flour and added lemon zest and preserved lemon to the base. Used Bonne Maman wild blueberry preserves. Had to bake way longer than expected (20 more min or so). Was easier to spread jam and add crumble before slicing. Very good just needed some tweaks.

Do 1.5 times the recipe for a 9x13 pan. Will probably need to add to cooking time (was underbaked at 35 min when recipe was doubled).

I used a mini muffin pan and small scoop. I used a pestle to make a good sized hole which I filled with jam. The result was a light yet crisp cookie.

tried It in a 9x13 pan like people recommended and it did not work out, it came out way to thin. next time will try an 8x8 like the recipe states.

So good! I was so worried it wouldn’t work at first but then when I flipped it over the cookies looked perfect. No need to cut an inch off, the crumbles kind of crumbled off as I was cutting the cookies!

My husband & I both rated these 5 stars! However, there are three things to note if you're making them for the first time: (1) Using a 9x9 square pan, it took way more than 35 minutes to bake (~45-50); (2) 1 cup of jam is WAY too much. I used about half that quantity and my bars still looked more jammy than those in the picture; and, (3) One doesn't need 1/2" off the edge of the baked recipe in order to make enough crumbs to cover the rest of the pan's worth of bars!

These were perfect, used a glass 8x8, followed directions precisely baked for 35 minutes. I recommend using fruit preserves rather than a thick jelly.

I made this recipe in a quarter sheet pan with homemade sour cherry jam. I didn’t have rice flour on hand so I used AP flour. It was a big hit!

We used a Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment, which helped the batter come together easily, without excessive mixing. The recipe came out perfectly in an 8 x 8 pan, but needed 10 additional minutes in the oven. We made this with raspberry jam for a Fourth of July party, garnished with blueberries to give it a red-white-and-blue feel. It was a big hit, and worked well at an outdoor event with 90+ degree weather!

Made these in an 8x8 straight sided pan and they came out perfectly, exactly as pictured. I did not have rice flour so used about 1/4 c. cornstarch and the texture was lovely. So many fun opportunities to showcase some delicious summer jams, envisioning a marmalade version for the winter. Yum!

Would this work with all-fruit spread, or does it need to be preserves or jam?

I cooked for the allotted time, edges golden but it was not fully baked. Everyone liked them but under done

Made per instructions and the crowd loved these cookies. They are easy to make. I used an 8 x 8 pan, and mixed berry jam. I was concerned about the dough looking too dry when mixing, but it turned out very well! I was told by an experienced baker that for this type of recipe you don’t want to over mix. I’ll make these again and will try apricot jam the next time.