Jam Pennies Tea Sandwiches
on Feb 25, 2024, Updated Jun 12, 2024
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Recreate Queen Elizabeth’s favorite jam penny tea sandwiches using this easy no-cook 3-ingredient recipe! The crustless sandwiches are perfectly dainty and sweet.
Easy Jam Pennies Tea Sandwiches
Jam penny tea sandwiches are known for being a favorite snack of the late Queen Elizabeth II. She preferred strawberry jam so that’s what is used in this recipe. Jam pennies are cut into circles to the size of an old English penny, hence its name.
The 2-bite, crustless sandwiches are super simple to prepare and assemble with no cooking involved. A round cookie cutter helps cut uniform circles for dainty, cute sandwiches that are perfect for serving with afternoon tea.
They’re also great for bridal showers and baby showers or as an after-school snacks for kids.
RELATED: 24 Best Tea Sandwiches
Recipe Highlights
- This recipe is made with just 3 ingredients: white bread, salted butter, and strawberry jam.
- Prepping and assembling the sandwiches only takes a few minutes. There’s no cooking involved.
- These 4 bite-sized tea sandwiches serve 1-2 people, but it’s easy to scale up for more guests.
RELATED: Apricot Jam and Cheddar Tea Sandwiches
Ingredient Notes
- White bread: It’s best to use a soft white bread, such as Very Thin Pepperidge Farm white bread.
- Salted butter: A high-quality salted butter helps balance out the sweetness of the jam.
- Strawberry jam: You can use any strawberry jam of your choice. Avoid using preserves, which is thicker and may have chunks of fruit.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cut the bread into circles with a round cookie cutter. Avoid cutting the crust.
Step 2: Place the strawberry jam in a plastic sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in one corner.
Step 3: Spread a thin layer of butter on each bread circle.
Step 4: Squeeze jam on half of the bread circles.
Step 5: Top with another piece of bread, butter side facing down.
Step 6: Repeat to make the remaining sandwiches.
Tea Sommelier’s Tip
Black tea is traditionally served with tea sandwiches in an afternoon tea. You can’t go wrong with Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea.
Recipe Notes
Let the butter soften before spreading.
Allow the butter to come to room temperature so you can easily spread it onto the bread. To quickly soften cold butter, warm up a cup or bowl with hot water, then use it to cover the butter.
For the cleanest cuts, freeze the bread.
Bread that’s been frozen holds its shape better than room temperature bread. The edges will be neater with fewer crumbs.
Make them ahead of time.
Assemble the sandwiches and cover wax paper, followed by a damp paper towel. Place in an airtight container. The damp paper towel will help prevent the bread from drying out but avoid letting it touch the sandwiches.
You can also save time by cutting the bread circles out in advance, then assembling the sandwiches right before serving.
Serve at room temperature.
Tea sandwiches are traditionally enjoyed at room temperature. If preparing ahead of time, take them out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead of time to warm them up.
RELATED: Heart Tea Sandwiches
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have circular cookie cutters, use a knife to slice them into squares or triangles.
- You can also use other cookie cutter shapes but it’s best to use simple ones, like hearts.
- Tea sandwiches are usually crustless, so be sure to cut those off.
- These are meant to be eaten in 2 bites. Don’t make them too big if serving for afternoon tea.
Questions You May Have
Yes! Jam Pennies are traditionally made with strawberry jam but you can swap in any jam or jelly flavor of your choice.
Tea sandwiches are meant to be dainty and easy to bite into, so the crusts are removed.
Yes! All 3 courses of an afternoon tea from the tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets, are meant to be eaten with your hands.
Related
- Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
- British Cheese and Pickle Tea Sandwiches
- Blue Cheese and Pear Tea Sandwiches
- Easy Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Victoria Mini Cakes
- Mini Banana Cake
- Strawberry Sando Tea Sandwiches
If you tried this Jam Pennies Tea Sandwiches recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Jam Pennies Tea Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices Very Thin white bread
- 2 teaspoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons strawberry jam
Instructions
- Cut circles out of the bread.Cut 8 circles out of the bread. Avoid the cutting the crust.
- Place the strawberry jam in a zip-top bag. Cut a small hole in one corner of the bag for piping.
- Assemble the sandwiches.Spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread. Squeeze jam on top of 4 slices of bread. Cover with another piece of bread with the buttered side down.
- Repeat until you make 4 tea sandwiches.
Notes
- It’s best to use a soft white bread, such as Very Thin Pepperidge Farm white bread.
- A high-quality salted butter helps balance out the sweetness of the jam.
- Allow the butter to come to room temperature so you can easily spread it onto the bread. To quickly soften cold butter, warm up a cup or bowl with hot water, then use it to cover the butter.
- You can use any strawberry jam of your choice. Avoid using preserves, which is thicker and may have chunks of fruit.
- For the cleanest cuts, freeze the bread.
- To make ahead, assemble the sandwiches and cover wax paper, followed by a damp paper towel. Place in an airtight container. The damp paper towel will help prevent the bread from drying out but avoid letting it touch the sandwiches.
- Tea sandwiches are traditionally enjoyed at room temperature. If preparing ahead of time, take them out of the fridge 15 minutes ahead of time to warm them up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
