These old-fashioned, shortbread, buttery jam crumble bars are always a hit with young and old alike. Whether for kids' parties, bake sales or your home cookie tin, this fool-proof jam square recipe always delivers!
They are equally fitting for a posh afternoon tea along with dainty sandwiches and cream scones. Alternatively, wrap a few up in printed parchment paper and tie them with a pretty ribbon as a thoughtful gift to a loved one.
A friendly word of warning, these jam squares are crowd-pleasers and tend to get eaten quickly. Making a double batch right away ensures you'll have extras when the first ones vanish fast.
The jam bars also get better over time as the flavours develop. So doubling the recipe allows enjoying them at their peak around day two.
We used strawberry jam for this recipe, but you can pick your own favourite jam.
For more easy-bake or no-bake recipes, try these date balls, date squares or coconut ice with condensed milk.
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What's to love about this recipe
- Old-fashioned appeal - a popular nostalgic treat from days gone by.
- Buttery, rich shortbread crumble topping instead of oats.
- A fuss-free bake that comes together in just 15 mins of prep and 30 mins in the oven.
- The perfect small-batch recipe for using up leftover jam.
- Customizable with any flavour jam - try apricot, raspberry or other varieties.
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe and list of ingredients.
Butter
Use either salted or unsalted butter, softened. If using salted butter, you can omit the salt from the recipe.
Top tip: To speed up the process of softening butter, you can use a microwave-safe glass bowl. Fill it with about an inch of water and heat it in the microwave until the water boils.
Remove the bowl from the microwave, discard the water, and quickly turn the bowl upside down over the butter. The residual heat from the bowl will soften the butter, making it easier to work with.
White granulated sugar
For the crumble topping, white sugar gives you the right texture. Brown sugar, or even light brown sugar makes the crumble too soft.
Egg
Be sure to use an egg that is at room temperature before baking.
Top tip: To quickly bring eggs up to room temperature, place them in a bowl with warm water for a few minutes.
Jam
For this recipe, we are using strawberry jam, but use any of your favourite fruit jam!
Other jam of choice could be raspberry jam, blueberry jam, apricot jam, peach jam, plum jam, fig jam, grape jam, cherry jam and blackberry jam. You can also use lemon curd for a lemony twist.
Notable variations
Consider adding a drop of almond extract to the crumble mixture for extra flavour. Or, feel free to mix in a pinch of ground cinnamon for warmth and spice.
How to make the jam squares: Step-by-step
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use a stand mixer, hand mixer or food processor.
- Add the egg and mix to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients; All-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add it to the butter mixture.
- Work the mix together with your hands. Be patient as it's a very dry, tight dough mixture, but it will come together.
- Shape the dough into a log, wrap it in cling film and chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F/gas mark 4.
- Line a 20cm x 20cm square pan with baking paper. Leave a slight overhang as it makes it easier to lift the traybake out later.
- Cut a three-quarter piece from the log of dough and place the other quarter back in the fridge for now.
- Use the rough side of a cheese grater to grate the dough into crumbs.
- Spread the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Briefly warm the jam in the microwave until it's slighter runnier and easier to spread.
- Spoon the jam evenly across the crumb base.
- Grate the remaining dough from the fridge and sprinkle it over the jam.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.
- Allow the bake to cool in the tin before removing it and cutting it into 12 squares using a sharp knife.
Top tips
Do not be tempted to add more liquid to the dough
It might feel like a very dry mix and that you may have gone wrong somewhere with your measurements. Don't fear, you're on the right path!
This is normal for a shortbread mixture and the pay-off will be the short, buttery crumb later! Be patient and bring it together with your hands, it will work in the end, we promise. So please resist the urge to add any liquid.
Adjusting the amount of jam used
If you have a very sweet tooth you can up the jam to about 500g for this recipe. This will give you a thick layer of jam.
Less jam works too. If using less, you might have to take more time and care to spread it across the crumb base to get an equal distribution.
How to get uniform crumbs
The secret is to use very cold dough.
Once you have your dough made, roll it into a log shape of about 4cm in diameter and wrap it in cling film. Place it in the fridge for at least an hour. When your dough log is cool and firmed up, slice off a piece with a sharp knife.
Grate the piece with the roughest side of a cheese grater. You will need to work fast, as your hands will warm the dough and then it might start to stick to the grater more. If this happens, place it back in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up again.
We would recommend using a large chopping board or a large dinner plate for grating. It's easier to work with a bit of room because the dough crumbs multiply very quickly as you grate.
How to get neat slices
Follow our advice in the recipe by lining your baking dish with baking paper. Leave an overhang, as this makes it much easier to lift your bake from the tin later.
Resist the urge to dive into the jam squares too soon and start slicing when they are still warm. We know, it's hard! Leave them somewhere to cool down completely. Placing the tin on a wire rack will help cool it from below too.
We like to put ours in the fridge for a further 10 minutes, or longer, before lifting it out and slicing it with a sharp knife. This will guarantee sharp, neat slices.
If you're one of the excessive jam lovers and added more jam, take extra care to have your bake as cold as possible. That way, you can avoid any jam oozing out when you start slicing.
Variations
- Nutty crunch: Add a layer of chopped nuts (such as almonds, pecans or walnuts) on top of the jam before adding the crumble topping for added texture.
- Lemon zest: Incorporate a hint of fresh lemon zest into the dough to give the squares a zesty twist.
- Cream cheese swirl: Drop spoonfuls of softened cream cheese on top of the jam layer and use a toothpick to swirl it around with the jam before adding the top layer.
- Almond extract: Substitute vanilla extract with almond.
- Add spices: Add a pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice to the crumb mixture for some warmth. This will work better with jams like apricot and fig.
- Coconut jam squares: You can add a couple of tablespoons of desiccated coconut to the crumb mixture.
Serving suggestions
- Add whipped cream or ice cream: Serve the squares with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a nice contrast of flavours and textures.
- Dust with icing sugar: Before serving, dust the strawberry jam squares with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar for an elegant touch.
- Drizzle with chocolate: For a decadent twist, drizzle melted chocolate over the strawberry jam squares.
- Pair with fresh berries: Serve the squares with a side of fresh strawberries or other berries to enhance the fruity flavour and add a burst of colour.
- Create a jam square platter: Arrange a selection of different jam squares, such as strawberry, raspberry and apricot on a platter for a colourful and inviting dessert spread.
Storage
These jam squares will keep well for up to four days stored in an airtight container. They're at their ultimate best around days two and three.
Can you freeze jam squares?
Yes, you can freeze jam squares for up to three months.
After baking and cooling, cut them into portions and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer the frozen squares to an airtight container or freezer bags and label them with the date.
To enjoy later, thaw the squares at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
How is this different to Hungarian Tart?
It's not. It's exactly the same thing! In South Africa, these delightful shortbread jam squares are also known as 'Krummel tert', while in other parts of the world, they go by the name 'jam crumble bars' or 'jam slice'. Its universal charm spans across many countries!
More recipes using fruit
Recipe
Easy Old-fashioned Jam Squares
Ingredients
- 225 gram unsalted butter - softened
- 140 gram sugar
- 1 egg - room temperature
- 450 gram plain flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt - optional: you can omit the salt if using salted butter
- 450 gram strawberry jam - or other jam of choice
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer or a food processor.225 gram unsalted butter, 140 gram sugar
- Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and add it to the butter and sugar. Beat again until the egg is fully incorporated.1 egg
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.450 gram plain flour, 3 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar and egg mixture.
- Work the mix together with your hands. Be patient as it's a very dry mixture, but it will come together. The dough will be quite stiff.
- Shape the dough into log, wrap in cling film and chill for at least one hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C/356F/gas mark 4.
- Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Leave a slight overhang as it makes it easier to lift the traybake out later.
- Cut a three quarter piece from the log of dough and place the other quarter back in the fridge for now.
- Use the rough side of a cheese grater to grate the dough into coarse crumbs. It helps to do the grating on a very large plate or a large chopping board.
- Spread the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Briefly warm the jam in the microwave until it's slighter runnier and easier to spread.We find that 45 seconds to 1 minute usually does the trick, stopping halfway through to give it a stir.450 gram strawberry jam
- Evenly spoon the jam over the crumb base.
- Grate the remaining quarter of dough with the cheese grater.
- Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the jam.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
- Allow the bake to cool completely in the tin before removing it. It's crucial not to lift the bake from the baking tin until it has completely cooled down. We like to speed up the process with a 10 minute blast (or longer) in the fridge.
- Use a sharp knife and cut into 12 squares or bars.
Notes
Do not be tempted to add more liquid to the dough
It might feel like a very dry mix and that you may have gone wrong somewhere with your measurements. Don't fear, you're on the right path! This is normal for a shortbread mixture and the pay-off will be the short, buttery crumb later! Be patient and bring it together with your hands, it will work in the end, we promise. So please resist the urge to add any liquid.Adjusting the amount of jam used
If you have a very sweet tooth you can up the jam to about 500g for this recipe. This will give you a thick layer of jam. Less jam works too. If using less, you might have to take more time and care to spread it across the crumb base to get an equal distribution.How to get uniform crumbs
The secret is to use very cold dough. Once you have your dough made, roll it into a log shape of about 4cm in diameter and wrap it in cling film. Place it in the fridge for at least an hour. When your dough log is cool and firmed up, slice off a piece with a sharp knife. Grate the piece with the roughest side of a cheese grater. You will need to work fast, as your hands will warm the dough and then it might start to stick to the grater more. If this happens, place it back in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up again. We would recommend using a large chopping board or a large dinner plate for grating. It's easier to work with a bit of room because the dough crumbs multiply very quickly as you grate.How to get neat slices
Follow our advice in the recipe by lining your baking dish with baking paper. Leave an overhang, as this makes it much easier to lift your bake from the tin later. Resist the urge to dive into the jam squares too soon and start slicing when they are still warm. We know, it's hard! Leave them somewhere to cool down completely. Placing the tin on a wire rack will help cool it from below too. We like to put ours in the fridge for a further 10 minutes, or longer, before lifting it out and slicing it with a sharp knife. This will guarantee sharp, neat slices. If you're one of the excessive jam lovers and added more jam, take extra care to have your bake as cold as possible. That way, you can avoid any jam oozing out when you start slicing.**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
Nutrition
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