Button Cups with Almond Butter and Strawberry Jam are whimsical shortbread cups with a button top, filled with jam and almond butter.
Everything about these whimsical, ‘definitely tea party’ button cups, filled with homemade almond butter and strawberry jam are girlie and delicious!
I’ve added one more touch to these decadent cookies by serving with homemade almond milk!
The BEST cookies and milk you will ever have!
What Are Button Cups?
Imagine a tea party for a little girl.
That little girl has three older brothers who want to share in the making of tea party biscuits (cookies), for their little sister.
Big brothers often take turns reading Beatrix Potter to their little sister and so the rabbit, that also happens to be a tailor, becomes the object and theme for this tea party.
Button Cups are shortbread cookies made with mascarpone and butter.
Some of the cookie dough is shaped into a little cup, while the remaining cookie dough is shaped into a button that will fit on top of the cup.
Homemade nut butter and jam will go inside.
Whimsical Beatrix Potter Button Cups
Button cups are something whimsical I recently made for a television cooking show.
I was so thrilled to be chosen to film in this brand new show (that will be released summer of 2022 on PBS), and knew I had to showcase something absolutely spectacular, for such an occasion.
These button cups are something I created for my daughter’s third birthday. She is now in her thirties.
It was an attempt, with the help of her older brothers, to bring to life one of her favorite fairytales, a Beatrix Potter story her brothers would often read to her.
We read Beatrix Potter critter stories, lots of them.
The little Taylor and Cutter mouse caught my daughters fantasy, especially since I made many of her clothes when she was little.
I used a large wooden button to shape the cookie that would go on top of a tart shell, we would fill with nut butter and jam. It was a hit then, and still is to this day.
Fast forward to a few years ago, when I was visiting the Cotswolds in England, and came across the enchanting World of Beatrix Potter shop!
It took me back many years to the memories of reading these stories to my children.
I knew I had to take one of the critters home with me.
Now I have tea parties with my grandchildren (even though their daddy cringes at his little boys having a tea party LOL!).
Homemade Almond Butter
Inside the button cup, can be anything you want to put inside. On this particular day the big brothers, with the aid of mommy, whirled into creamy perfection, some homemade Almond Butter.
Almond butter, with the aid of a good strong food processor, is whirled into butter, from a heap of raw almonds, so fast you couldn’t run to the store to buy it as fast.
Raw almonds, with a drizzle of oil, go into the food processor and whirl for about five full minutes.
At first it seems they will only grind to a powder but then, the powder suddenly begins to release natural almond oil and before you know it, creamy almond butter is made.
Homemade Strawberry Jam
My favorite Homemade Strawberry Jam is made with Aleppo pepper and fresh Thyme!
With a heap of fresh strawberries, a little sugar and any herb or essence desired, this mixture is also ground to a puree, placed in a sauce pan and simmered on low for a short time, until it begins to thicken.
A little help to thicken can also be added if we are in a hurry. I like to use a sprinkle of potato starch but corn starch works too.
Once the jam simmers and thickens a bit, it gets cooled, then refrigerated until the button cups are baked, cooled and ready to fill.
How To Make Shortbread Buttons
An easy shortbread dough of butter, mascarpone, sugar and flour gets whirled into a lovely cookie dough; rolled out and ready to shape and bake.
The buttons used on the top need to be the same circumference as the opening of the tart cup top. Simply measure the tart cup opening and find a button that fits that measurement.
The button is used to press and shape the button cookies.
Using a wooden skewer to place a whole in the dough, as though a needle and thread will be sewing the button, is made before the dough is baked.
How To Make Shortbread Cups
The cups are shaped in a small tart tin; pressing a round of dough that will fit the entirety of the cup.
Then simply press the dough into the tart cup as though it were a mini pie crust, crimping the edges.
The cups take a few minutes longer to bake than the buttons, but keep an eye on them, so as not to become dark. For safe keeping, set a timer.
Once the cups are baked and cooled just enough to handle, pop them out of the tart tins before cooled all the way.
My Button Cups with Almond Butter and Strawberry Jam For PBS – Television Cooking
I had the incredible opportunity to make these Whimsical Button Cups with Homemade Strawberry Jam, Homemade Almond Butter and Homemade Almond Milk for The Great American Recipe on PBS!
While I had the privilege to prepare these whimsical button cups on national television in the summer of 2022, on PBS, these cookies were once only known to my kids many years ago.
The judges on the program where as drawn in by their whimsy and fabulous taste as my children always were.
One of the judges said, though it will certainly be edited out before it airs, “These look like they came from the French Laundry”!
Which of course, they aren’t permitted to mention other companies, but you get the idea!
Homemade Almond Milk For Television
Yep! I also made the judges almond milk, served in a shot glass, because that’s what any good Mediterranean mom would do and has done since long before it was known to grocery stores; make our own almond milk!
Can you believe I made the button cups, almond butter, strawberry jam and almond milk all in ninety-minutes!
I can’t wait for you to see!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter
- Mascarpone
- Sugar
- Flour
- Salt
- Egg
- Almond Butter
- Strawberry Jam
Equipment Needed
- Rolling pin
- 12 mini tartlet tins
- Food processor
- 1 Wooden Button
- Skewer Stick
- Multi-size biscuit cutters
- Basing brush
- Metal spatula
- Oven
While the recipe for the button cups can be found here, the recipes for the Homemade Almond Button, Strawberry Jam and Homemade Almond Milk can be easily found with one quick click here at Whisk and Dine.
Button Cups with Almond Butter and Strawberry Jam
Equipment
- 12 1-inch round tart cups
- 1 1-inch round button
- 1 2-inch round biscuit cutter
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325
- In a food processor place the room temp butter, mascarpone, sugar, flour and salt and whirl until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Remove the dough and roll it out on a floured surface. If the dough is too soft to press, roll it out to quarter inch and place in the fridge for 15-minutes.
- Two shapes will need to be pressed. With a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, make rounds out of the dough and press them into the little tart pan as though a pie crust. Prick the bottoms to allow air to escape while baking. Do the same with the remaining tart cups. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- With the 1-inch round biscuit cutter, make rounds, then press the button into the round to imprint its design. Using the skewer, punch out holes exactly as they are in the button. Gently lift up the button and repeat for the remaining button tops. Brush with egg wash and place on a cookie sheet.
- Bake the buttons for 12-minutes, or until golden, and the cups for 20-minutes, but keep an eye on both. A golden color is what we want, not still pale and not brown. Cool completely.
- Once cool, put a small dollop of almond butter and then strawberry jam into the cups and top with the button. Serve with cold Almond milk!
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.