In a Jam(Jam): The History of Jam Jams in Canada

By Gabby Peyton

Why eat one cookie when you can eat two? Whoever came up with the idea to sandwich two soft, chewy molasses cookies together with a heaping spoonful of homemade jam, creating the iconic Canadian cookie the Jam Jam, is a confectionary genius. The Jam Jam sits proudly on the plate with other cookies like Nanaimo Bars and Date Squares at bake sales, family gatherings and picnics across the country and just like those others in the Canadian cookie canon, the creation of such a simple yet delicious cookie happened simultaneously across the country, cementing itself into our nostalgic culinary memory — everyone’s grandmother has their own recipe (and their own name).

But one thing is for certain — you can pump up the jam with this one.

So, what is a Jam Jam?

A Jam Jam is a baked sandwich cookie made with two cakey cookies with jam sandwiched in between. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of variations of Jam Jams and one of the hottest topics amongst bakers is the use of molasses. Many outside the Atlantic provinces and Eastern Quebec, where molasses is a pantry staple, opt to use brown sugar instead of the white sugar-molasses combo they do on the East Coast.

Another topic of discussion amongst cookie-makers is the hole in the middle. Some recipes call for a hole on the top layer cookie to display the jam inside — like a window to showcase the efforts of the jam maker.

In baking, it’s an unspoken rule that as many ways as there are to make a cookie, there are probably as many (or more ) names for that very same treat.

In Canada, those Canadians with Austrian ancestry might call Jam Jams Linzer cookies, while those with a Swiss or German background call them Spitzbuben. There is also a cookie from the UK called a Jammy Dodger (named for Roger the Dodger, a comic book character featured in The Beano) whose jam cookie sandwich vibes are similar, although shortbread is typically used when making these. The sister cookie, the Jim Jam, also includes a daub of buttercream in their sandwich.

Cook(book) before you leap

Like many other iconic Canadian cookies, Jam Jam recipes first started making their appearance in community cookbooks in the 1930s like the Winnipeg Public Schools Home Economics cookbook and newspapers like the 1938 edition of “My Favourite Recipes” from the Stayner Sun in Stayner, Ontario.

However, unlike the rest of the iconic Canadian cookies, Jam Jams are not popular in every nook and cranny of the country — many people from British Columbia have not even heard of them. Jam Jams are a typical cookie across eastern Canada from the tip of Newfoundland to the northern shores of Ontario and in the prairie provinces. In Newfoundland and Labrador, they’re a particularly iconic treat.

The Newfoundland connection

While nan’s recipe for Jam Jams remains in the hearts of most across the province, and the NL diaspora around the world, it was Purity Factories that put Jam Jams on the popular culture map.

Purity was founded in St. John’s, NL, in 1924 by C.C. Pratt, A.E. Hickman and W.R. Goobie after they purchased F.B. Wood’s successful empire of restaurants, soda fountains and candy factories (there were two on Water Street alone), building their confectionary kingdom on candy. Purity staples included fruit-flavoured Purity syrups, Peppermint Nobs and chewy candy called Purity Kisses, all of which are still beloved by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians across the country and the world.

Jam Jams came later, in the 1950s, when the company started producing a variety of cookies and jams after moving to their production facility on Blackmarsh Road. The most popular jam was partridgeberry with apple, which is still in production today. While most people in Newfoundland love Jam Jams, many don’t know the jam inside is apple — a stark difference from most homemade renditions which would have most ubiquitous local berry jams inside like raspberry or partridgeberry.

Whichever way you choose to enjoy them — from Purity, from the local bake sale, with a hole on top, without a hole on top, or calling them Linzer cookies — one thing Canadians understand as common knowledge: Jam Jams go great with a cup of tea.

Hungry for more? Check out these Classic Canadian Dishes:

• Meat Pie Magic: The History of Tourtière
• Triple Threat: A History of the Nanaimo Bar
• Delicious Squared: History of Date Squares
• The History of the Iconic Jiggs Dinner
• The History of Pea Soup in Canada
• The History of Baked Beans in Canada
• Classic Canadian Dishes: Pouding Chômeur
• Classic Canadian Dishes: The Lobster Roll
• Classic Canadian Dishes: Saskatoon Pie
• Classic Canadian Dishes: Cod au Gratin