Jim Jams

Jim Jams (or Jam Jams) are a prairie-Canadian farmhouse cookie, the kind grandma pulled from a tin on the sideboard. An oatmeal and brown sugar dough rolled thin and cut into sandwiches holds a sticky date filling between two tender rounds. The dough uses both lard and butter, an old-school combination that gives them superior tenderness without the greasiness of all-shortening cookies.

Buttermilk and baking soda are the reaction pair here, giving the oatmeal cookies a light, slightly tangy crumb that keeps them from going dense. The date filling is dead simple: dried dates cooked down with sugar and a splash of water into a thick jam that sets as it chills. Strawberry jam is also traditional and listed as an option.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough well before rolling. Warm dough with lard spreads in the oven and blurs the sandwich edges.
• Roll between parchment to a uniform thickness. Uneven dough leads to cookies that break or go leathery.
• Cool completely before filling. Warm cookies make the date paste run out the edges.
• Store in a tin with wax paper between layers. The filling keeps them chewy for up to a week.

Variations

• Use strawberry or raspberry jam in place of date for a brighter fruit hit.
• Swap half the flour for whole wheat for a nuttier bite.
• Dip one edge in melted dark chocolate for a dressier version.