Ah yes, and those jam drops.  How could we forget those red gems that sat beneath the Chocolate Rough Slice at the annual birthday celebration. Be prepared folks, for a tale of hope, triumph, despair, hope again and yes, triumph.

Jam drops have an appealing simplicity, but I’m often disappointed with the final result.  That darn hollow where the jam is meant to sit always seems to rise a little too much.  So I am quietly hopeful, but ready to be disappointed when I start this.

You will need:

• 3 cups of flour
• 6 tblsp butter
• 2 eggs
• Jam
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup sugar (extra)

Do this:

1. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add eggs.  Beat well, then add flour and baking powder.  Stir to form a soft dough.

2. Roll into small balls and dip in sugar (hello, this is new.  I’m not so sure, all this sugar seems a little excessive?)

3. Place on lightly greased trays.  Press small holes into balls and put a tsp of jam in each. (So far so good).

4. Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 15-20 minutes.

They are beautiful! They are perfect! And that extra sugar that I was so disgusted by gives them a delectable crunch!

This all seems perfect I hear you mutter.  Where is the despair?  The disaster? Please see below.  You will find a photo of the jam drops after they slid off the baking tray onto the floor.  Unlike a cat, none of them fell on their feet.  All jam down.  Humph.

I kept my cool.  I picked them up, feeling relieved that the floors had only just been cleaned.  I scraped out the jam and replaced it with new jam.  I dared to stick them back in the oven for a couple of minutes to cook the jam a little.

Like all good stories, this has a happy ending. They survived.  No, they were not the most attractive of biscuits, but they were good on the inside.  And like all things in life, isn’t that what counts?

Kath & Kate xx