Slices “Shkolnoe” – popular Russian shortbread jam bars

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Heavenly tender shortcrust pastry that melts in your mouth and sweet jam filling make the slices “Shkolnoe” one of the most delicious Russian pastries – whether covered with sugar glaze or sprinkled with crumbs. At the same time, it is also the easiest dessert to make yourself very quickly from a few common ingredients. It’s no wonder that shortbread jam bars were so popular in the Soviet Union. Here I’ll show you how to make them yourself. You can find a detailed recipe for Russian shortbread jam bars with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions here at the very bottom.

Slices "Shkolnoe" – recipe for popular Russian shortbread jam bars

Pastry from the distant Soviet school days

“Shkolnoe” comes from the Russian word “shkola”, which translates to “school”. Thus, the word “shkolnoe” means “the school thing”. The slices were invented in the Soviet Union. They first appeared under the name “shortbread bars” and quickly became popular. In the Soviet school canteens, the slices were a permanent part of the school kids’ menu. That’s where the corresponding name came from later – slices “Shkolnoe”. But it was not only in canteens that the shortbread jam bars were offered. They could also be bought in Soviet confectioneries and bakeries along with korzinochki, kartoshka or eclairs. Not only children, but also adults were delighted with the taste of sweet shortbread bars.

Slices "Shkolnoe"

The most tender shortbread in the world combined with jam

What makes the Russian slices “Shkolnoe” so special is the shortbread they are made of. It has an incredibly delicate consistency and immediately melts in your mouth after each bite. You could call this dough the most delicious shortbread ever. Moreover, it combines perfectly with jam in terms of taste. This results in the incredibly delicious shortbread bars that are guaranteed to never be resisted by anyone who has tried them.

With glaze or crumbs

The basic recipe for the Soviet slices “Shkolnoe” is always the same. They consist of two layers of shortbread and a layer of jam in between. But as for their external appearance, they were decorated in different ways in the Soviet Union. The Russian shortbread jam bars were available covered with sugar glaze, decorated with chocolate glaze or sprinkled with shortbread crumbs. Below I will show you both the recipe with sugar glaze and with crumbs. You can decide for yourself which you prefer to make. Once you’ve tried both, tell me in a comment which one you liked best. I had already made the shortbread jam bars with both glaze and crumbs, but I found the slices a bit better with shortbread crumbs. First, they taste less sweet, unlike ones covered with the sugar glaze. And secondly, you can make them yourself much faster. This is because making the glaze requires some extra effort. Besides, there are some things that need to be taken into account in order for the glaze to succeed.

Russian shortbread jam bars

What jam do I use for Russian shortbread bars?

According to the classic recipe, the slices “Shkolnoe” are made with an apple jam. But you can use any jam of your taste for it. A firm jam is the most suitable for the slices “Schkolnoe”. It does not flow out at the edge of the jam bars and does not soften the shortbread. In addition, you can make the most delicious slices with a sour jam. Because a sour taste combines ideally with the sweet shortbread and possibly the sugar glaze.

Easy and heavenly delicious

Shortbread jam bars are probably among the simplest Soviet pastries. For the recipe you need only a few common ingredients. The making is very easy and quick. You just have to bake the shortbread and spread it with jam. Then either a glaze or the crumbs come on the slices, and they are ready. At the same time, they taste incredibly delicious. So there is no reason not to make them yourself.

Shortbread slices with jam

How to keep Russian shortbread jam bars?

Soviet shortbread jam bars are not only heavenly delicious and quick to make. They also stay fresh for a long time and taste even more delicious in the next few days than right after making. Store them in an airtight container, such as a lunch box, in the refrigerator. You can keep them for about 1 week.

The slice “Schkolnoe” is

  • crispy tender,
  • moist,
  • sweet,
  • heavenly delicious,
  • aromatic,
  • easy and quick to make from common ingredients,
  • long shelf life,
  • even more delicious the next day,
  • perfect for dessert with coffee, tea or for a party,
  • classic of the Soviet cuisine.

Slices "the school thing"

How to make shortbread jam bars: the recipe

The exact quantities and step-by-step instructions, according to which you can make Russian slices “Shkolnoe” yourself, you can find here below in the box recipe.

The recipe for shortbread jam bars is very easy and quick, especially if you make them without glaze, but with crumbs. All you need is

  • soft butter or margarine,
  • eggs,
  • sugar,
  • flour,
  • baking powder,
  • vanilla
  • and any solid jam.

How to make slices “Schkolnoe” yourself: here’s how

  1. Beat soft butter or margarine, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs and beat until creamy and fluffy. Add flour with baking powder and knead briskly to form a very soft dough. Chill the dough for 40 minutes. Then roll out into a square, place on the baking sheet and chill for 1 hour. Bake the shortcrust pastry base at 180 °C for about 10 minutes and allow to cool.
  2. Cut a thin edge off the shortcrust pastry base on all sides and crumble. Cut the shortcrust pastry base into two halves, spread both halves with jam and stack on top of each other. Sprinkle the “cake” with crumbs, let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours and then cut into slices. Done!

Shortbread jam bars

How to make shortbread jam bars: tips and tricks

  • To give the dough the right consistency, add flour in batches. The amount of flour specified in the recipe may vary. The dough must be very soft, not sticky and not too firm.
  • Do not knead the dough for too long, but only briefly and quickly. Otherwise, butter in the dough will melt quickly from the heat of your hands, which will make you need more flour for the dough. As a result, the pastry will end up tasting dry instead of crumbly.
  • It is important not to bake the shortbread too long. Otherwise it will end up tasting dry and no longer tender. It is normal if the dough has a very light color after baking.
  • The shortcrust pastry base is very crumbly after baking. It is best to let it rest overnight and only cut it in half the next day. Handle the shortbread base as gently as possible the next day as well, since it is very delicate.
  • Use a firm and tart jam for the slices “Shkolnoe”.
  • As vanilla for the dough you can use for example vanilla sugar, vanilla powder, vanilla extract or vanilla bean scraped out.
  • The temperature of the sugar syrup for the glaze, to which it must be cooked, is very important. It is best to use a kitchen thermometer to measure.
  • If your glaze has become too dry, you can add a few drops of water to it. Do not overdo it with the water, otherwise the glaze will be too runny and transparent.

Video for the slices “Shkolnoe” recipe

By the way, on my Youtube channel you can find a short video for the Russian shortbread jam bars. There you can watch exactly how to make them yourself. If you don’t want to miss any more videos from me, feel free to subscribe to my channel.

Did you make slices “Shkolnoe” according to this recipe? I’m looking forward to your result, your star rating and your comment on the recipe below, how you liked and succeeded in making the shortbread jam bars.

Fancy more popular sweet pastries from the Soviet era? Try also:

Slices "Shkolnoe" (Russian shortbread jam bars)

Slices "Shkolnoe" (Russian shortbread jam bars)

Heavenly tender shortcrust pastry that melts in your mouth and sweet jam filling make the slices "Shkolnoe" one of the most delicious Russian pastries – whether covered with sugar glaze or sprinkled with crumbs. At the same time, it is also the easiest dessert to make yourself very quickly from a few common ingredients. It's no wonder that shortbread jam bars were so popular in the Soviet Union. You can make them yourself according to this easy recipe.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Russian
Servings 10 pieces

Ingredients
  

for the dough

  • 250 g butter or margarine (room temperature)
  • 120 g sugar
  • 2 eggs (warm)
  • approx. 520 g flour
  • 15 g baking powder
  • vanilla
  • 1 pinch of salt

for the filling

  • 200 g solid jam

for the glaze (alternative)

  • 200 g sugar
  • 70 ml water
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder

Instructions
 

Preparation of the dough

  • Beat soft butter or margarine, sugar, vanilla and salt for about 4 - 5 minutes until creamy white mass.
  • Add eggs and beat until creamy and fluffy.
  • Add baking powder and flour in batches, a little at a time, and knead quickly and briefly to form a very soft dough. (Note my tips and tricks for this here at the top of the post.) Cover the dough in the mixing bowl and chill for 40 minutes.
  • Roll out the dough on a sheet of baking paper into a square, about the size of the baking sheet (about 30 x 40 cm in size), pull the baking paper with the rolled out dough onto the baking sheet and chill it like this for 1 hour.
  • Bake the shortcrust pastry base in a preheated oven at 180 °C top and bottom heat for about 10 minutes and then let it cool well, preferably overnight.

Preparation of the shortbread bars with breadcrumbs

  • Cut an approx. 0.5 - 1 cm border off the shortcrust pastry base on all sides and crumble this border finely.
  • Cut the shortcrust pastry base into two equal parts. Spread one part of it with half of the jam, carefully place the second part on top and spread it with the remaining jam.
  • Sprinkle the top of the "cake" with the crumbs, let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours and then cut it into 10 equal-sized slices.

Preparation of the glaze (alternative to crumbs)

  • Put sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar before it boils, then simmer until the sugar syrup reaches 110 °C.
  • Add lemon juice, stir briefly, and continue to simmer (stop stirring) until the syrup reaches 115°C. Immediately remove it from the heat and let it cool down to about 40 °C in a cold water bath.
  • Whip the cooled transparent sugar syrup with kneading picks to a snow-white, firm sugar glaze
  • Cut the shortcrust pastry base into two equal parts, spread one part with the jam and carefully place the second part on top.
  • Heat the glaze in a water bath until it thickens.
  • Put about 1 tablespoon of the glaze in a small mixing bowl, add cocoa powder and stir. (If the chocolate glaze is too dry, you can add a few drops of water. Don't overdo it with the water, though).
  • Pour the remaining white glaze over the "shortcake" and paint thin stripes on it from the chocolate glaze.
  • Let the "cake" rest for about 2 hours at room temperature and cut it into 10 equal-sized slices.

Notes

  • To give the dough the right consistency, add flour in batches. The amount of flour specified in the recipe may vary. The dough must be very soft, not sticky and not too firm.
  • Do not knead the dough too long, but only briefly and quickly.
  • Do not bake the shortcrust pastry for too long. After baking, it will have a very light color.
  • Be very careful with the shortbread base, as it is very delicate.
  • Use a firm and tart jam.
  • If the glaze has become too dry, add a few drops of water. Don't overdo it with the water, though, or the glaze will be too runny and translucent.
  • The preparation time is given for the shortbread jam bars with crumbs.
  • The time for cooling the shortcrust pastry base is not included in the preparation time.
  • The time to rest the slices is not included in the preparation time.
  • Note the detailed tips and tricks for making the Russian shortbread jam bars at the top of the post.
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