Perfect Valentine’s Day treat, but really would fit just about any theme!
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Mix butter and sugar with blender until they are just combined, and add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt, then add to the butter-and-sugar mixture.
- Mix on low until the dough starts to come together.
- Place on surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk.
- Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut with your cookie cutter.
- Use a smaller round or heart-shaped cutter to cut a hole from the middle of half of the cookies.
- Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes. (I usually skip this step)
- Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
- Cool slightly, remove to wire rack.
- When they are at room temperature, spread the jam on the flat side of each solid cookie.
- Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.
From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.
