Spicy bar cookies with a nice crunch of pecans plus the sweetness of a jam filling.
I have been making these wonderful cookies for Christmas for the last 15 years. I use low sugar strawberry spread instead of the regular jam. Additionally, from years of trial and error I have found that when you divide the dough and spread the strawberry jam on top if you place it in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes it will help make putting the dough on top a whole lot easier since the cold jam will not shift around so easily. Then all you have to do is let it return to room temperature and then bake. Its one more step but its worth it. Thanks LindaK for passing on this recipe. I'm sure a lot of other families will pick it up as a tradition!
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Well....this didn't turn out as I thought it would. Easy ingredients. Easy to put together. The batter was stiff when putting in the pan. I followed it to a T. Baked it and it didn't look done. It was in the oven an hour and a half. And I took it out. Waited until it cooled and it was gooey in the center. I think I should have prebaked the bottom a little bit before adding the jam and top. And even though it add little cardamom, I preferred the flavor before it was baked. After, just wasn't to my liking...totally sorry.
Read More I have been making these wonderful cookies for Christmas for the last 15 years. I use low sugar strawberry spread instead of the regular jam. Additionally, from years of trial and error I have found that when you divide the dough and spread the strawberry jam on top if you place it in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes it will help make putting the dough on top a whole lot easier since the cold jam will not shift around so easily. Then all you have to do is let it return to room temperature and then bake. Its one more step but its worth it. Thanks LindaK for passing on this recipe. I'm sure a lot of other families will pick it up as a tradition!
I made these because my husband's ancestors are Bohemian/Czech. These cookie bars are really better than I thought they would be. I didn't have strawberry jam, so I used blackberry jam. Very good!!!! ....................................... I am updating this review. I just made these with Solo apricot filling and they were awesome. I want to try with the Solo nut fillings next. I also forgot the vanilla and they were still good. Great recipe. Updating one more time...I now make this with my homemade damson plum jam, or strawberry rhubarb jam. My two favorite flavors!
My boyfriend is Czech and I made these for him as a surprise. He loved them!
Well....this didn't turn out as I thought it would. Easy ingredients. Easy to put together. The batter was stiff when putting in the pan. I followed it to a T. Baked it and it didn't look done. It was in the oven an hour and a half. And I took it out. Waited until it cooled and it was gooey in the center. I think I should have prebaked the bottom a little bit before adding the jam and top. And even though it add little cardamom, I preferred the flavor before it was baked. After, just wasn't to my liking...totally sorry.
These are so good! Easy to make, full of wonderful flavor. Don't leave out the cardamom, it really makes a difference. They make great "cereal" bars, especially if you reduce the sugar and use whole wheat pastry flour.
My family is of Czech descent and I wanted to bring some of that back into our holiday tradition. These cookies were delicious! I think I will add a litte more jam next time around. These are great cookies to make when you're looking for something a little different! Very delicious and easy to make.
Not my favorite. Liked the cookie part but kind of tasted like a cookie with jam on it. I used the regular Smuckers though so maybe if I used low sugar, it would of turned out better. Sorry...
This were phenomenal! I made them with Peach Preserves and everyone that tried them loved them. Hard to wait an hour for them to be done but worth the wait!
Didn't expect the results to be so shortbread like. I wasn't impressed. They smelled delicious though.
My husband sent me on a mission to make some kind "Czech" dessert for some family who is from there... and YUM YUM YUM! We loved these! We did use the freezer tip and it was perfect!
I love the taste of cardomen in this, it really adds to the flavor. This will go in the All Time Keepers file. It is simple to make and a wonderful addition to any cookie tray.
Easy. Because of a school no-nut policy, we skipped the pecans.. Still VERY good. We also skipped allspice & cardamom & used 1/3 tsp cinnamon instead. Would make it the same way next time. Re: top layer of dough: We used our hands to flatten golf ball-sized amounts of dough into 'pancakes' and placed them over the jam, overlapping slightly & pressing edges
sortbread like outside. add more jam then calls for. tasety with tea. the crust ould be good on own for cookie or crust for cream pie
These cookies were a staple at holiday time. My mom made a cookie by the same name, but did not add the spices and used plum jam. These are wonderful.
Followed the low sugar jam tip. These were awesome, brought them to a picnic and there were almost none left.
These bars were delicious! I doubled the recipe and made one pan w/ blackberry preserves and the other w/ Apricot preserves. I will definitely make again.
These were great, My kids wanted me to make them again. I doubled the recipe to make a larger amount all at once.
My twelve year old son made these himself, with a just a little supervision! Followed the recipe exactly as stated; they turned out delicious!
Turned out great! The recipe doesn't tell you when to add the vanilla so add that with the egg yolks. I split the dough 2/3 1/3 and pressed the 2/3 into the bottom of a square silicon pan. I then marked with toothpicks and divided into 3 sections so I could use 3 different jams. I did strawberry, apricot and raspberry. Raspberry was the family favourite! For the top layer I took small amounts and flattened them in my palm and then laid them on top of the jam. I will definitely make this again!
As usual, I am making these cookies for Christmas. However I spoke with a lady whose Mother-in-law is Czech and she makes them into thumbprint cookies instead of bar cookies. I haven't done this before but I would suggest that if you try this refrigerate the dough and keep the rest cold before molding them. Then just add your favorite jam or filling.
I made these on Christmas eve and on Christmas day everyone was asking for more. The are delicious.
Cardamom and pecan make for an interesting taste for the shortbread-like crust and topping. Getting the topping spread out on top of the jam was a bit finicky (had to break off small bits and mash them in my hands before placing on top of the jam). Otherwise, a nice jam bar.
This has become the cookie bars I make for every fourth of July. I love that they're not overly sweet, and the amount of spice perfectly complements the jam and pecans. I usually describe them as pecan sandies with jam in-between.
I like the recipe except for the cardamom and other than that substitution for that was difficult because according to your recipe it only ask for one eighth of a teaspoon little bit much to be adding three substitute spices together and make an 1/8 of a teaspoon out of that but I haven't let it cool enough to be able to cut it and as soon as I do I'll let you know thanks for the recipe my mom would have loved
Amazing! I substituted cinnamon for the all spice and doubled the caramon (can’t spell), I used 1/2 fine chopped pecans, and doubled the strawberry jam. It was amazing and everyone loved it! I used the freezer tip and rolled out the top layer with my hands before laying it on top and it worked like a charm! Thanks!!
Enjoyed these cookies for 40 yrs & have made them 30yrs. They are perfect but there’s a learning curve to making them. I substitute raspberry jam & LOVE THEM.
You can cheat and melt the butter instead of creaming and it still works. I substituted raspberry jalapeno jam for the filling.
I found this recipe last year during the holidays. I have made it solo many times since, with every sort of jam that sounds interesting. I love this recipe! I did the trick of freezing the jam before putting the second layer of dough over it, and have never had any issues. I like to add a bit of extra cinnamon too, because I add extra cinnamon to everything.
