Copycat Rhubarb & Custard Jammy Dodger

For the rhubarb jam, put the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat and let the sugar melt gently.

Bring it to a simmer and cook for 5 mins, or until the rhubarb has started to soften.

Break the rhubarb up with the back of a fork, then continue to simmer, mixing every now and then for another 5-10 mins until the mixture is thick and jammy. To test it’s ready, drop a small amount onto a plate and leave it to cool for 1 minute, then press your finger into it and if it wrinkles then the jam is ready. If it doesn’t, leave it simmering for another minute and test again.

Leave the jam to cool in the pan, then chill in a bowl until ready to use.  The jam will keep in a sealed and sterilised jar for up to one week.

Put the flour and butter into a food processor and pulse the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the mixture to a large mixing bowl then add the golden caster sugar, custard powder and vanilla extract and mix it all together until it starts to form a dough.

Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a ball of dough, then wrap it and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

MY KITCHEN TIP: Be careful not to over work the dough as this develops the gluten too much and makes the biscuits tough.

Preheat the oven to 160C fan (180C, gas mark 4) and line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to the thickness of about 5mm then cut out 20 circles with a 6cm/5cm cutter. (you will need to re-roll the dough a few times but try to only re-roll twice to avoid over working the dough)

Lay the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheets and then cut out tiny hearts from the centres of half the biscuits.

MY KITCHEN TIP: If you think the dough has got too warm, pop the biscuits in the fridge on the baking sheets for 10 minutes and let the butter harden up a bit before baking. This helps the biscuits keep their shape, especially those with the cut-out heart centres.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until pale golden, then remove and cool on a wire rack.

For the vanilla custard buttercream, put the icing sugar and custard powder into a large mixing bowl with 1tsp vanilla. Add the butter and beat together with an electric whisk or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

Assemble the biscuits by spreading 1 tsp buttercream onto the rough side of the plain biscuits and top it with ½ tsp rhubarb jam. Place the cut out biscuits on top then leave them to set for 20-30 minutes before serving.

As with every baked good, these are best eaten fresh on the day, but they will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.