Okay, so I’ve been on a real jam-making kick lately. And not just any jam, apricot jam. I found a huge box of apricots at the farmer’s market, and they were just perfectly ripe – soft, sweet, and begging to be turned into something delicious. I figured, why not try baking with it? I mean, apricot jam is amazing on toast, but surely it could be even better inside something.
So, I started by making the jam. I’ve made jam a few times before, so I wasn’t too intimidated. Basically, you just chop up the fruit, toss it with a bunch of sugar and some lemon juice (the lemon juice helps it set, I think), and cook it down until it’s thick and syrupy. This batch took a while, I think I simmered it for a good hour, maybe longer. I kept testing it by dropping a little spoonful onto a cold plate – when it didn’t run all over the place, I knew it was ready.
My First Attempt: Apricot Jam Swirl Muffins
- I grabbed a basic muffin recipe off the internet – you know, the kind with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, the usual.
- I mixed up the batter, and then I got to the fun part. I spooned some batter into muffin tins, then dolloped a generous teaspoon of my homemade apricot jam on top.
- I used that methord swirl it around with a toothpick, trying to get that pretty marbled effect.
- I baked them for about 20 minutes, and they smelled AMAZING. Like, seriously, my whole kitchen smelled like warm apricots and sunshine.
They looked pretty good when they came out, golden brown and puffy. But when I cut one open… the jam had mostly sunk to the bottom. Still tasty, but not quite the swirl I was going for. I figured i should find another way.
Round Two: Apricot Jam-Filled Cookies
I decided to try cookies next. I thought maybe a sandwich cookie would work better, keeping the jam contained.
- I made a simple sugar cookie dough, chilled it for a bit (because that’s what all the recipes tell you to do), and then rolled it out.
- I used a round cookie cutter to make the cookies, then baked half of them just like that.
- For the other half, I used a smaller, heart-shaped cutter to make a little window in the center.
Once they were all baked and cooled, I spread a layer of apricot jam on the solid cookies, then topped them with the window cookies. They looked SO cute! And this time, the jam stayed put. Success! They were a little messy to eat, but totally worth it. The sweet, tart jam with the buttery cookies… perfection.
So, yeah, that’s my apricot jam baking adventure. I definitely learned that you can’t just throw jam into anything and expect it to magically work, but with a little trial and error, you can make some pretty awesome stuff. I’m already thinking about what to bake next… maybe an apricot jam tart? Or some kind of danish? The possibilities are endless!
