Toasted Almond And Blueberry Jam Sandwich Cookies

Total Time: 43 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 18 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup whole blanched almond, toasted, finely ground
• 6 tablespoons blueberry jam
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Recipe

• 1 sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• 2 in a large bowl,using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth and slightly lightened in color, about 1 minute on low speed. stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.
• 3 on low speed, mix in the vanilla, almond extract and ground toasted almonds.(see note at bottom).
• 4 mix in the flour mixture just until the flour is incorporated adn the dough holds together.
• 5 divide the dough in half and form in two 6" disks.
• 6 wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough until it is cold and firm enough to roll, about 40 minutes.
• 7 preheat the oven to 325°f.
• 8 line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 9 remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator.
• 10 put the dough between 2 large sheets of wax paper and roll it into a rectangle about 12 x 8" and 1/4" thick.
• 11 remove the top sheet of wax paper and discard it.
• 12 use a cookie cutter to cut out 3 1/2" circles (or any shape you like) from the dough, leaving the cookies on the wax paper.
• 13 turn the wax paper over, peel off the paper and use a metal spatula to help place the circles 1" apart on one of the prepared pans--(the cookies do not spread much).
• 14 set aside the dough scraps.
• 15 using a clean piece of wax paper, roll and cut the second piece of dough.gather together all the dough scraps, forming a smooth disc and repeat the rolling and cutting process -- you should have 20 cookies.
• 16 cut a 1" circle (or other shape) from the center of half of the cookies and remove those shapes(circles) from the cookies. the wide end of a pastry tube works well for cutting the circles -- the dough "holes" can be baked along with the cookies for snacks.
• 17 bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are light brown and the tops firm, about 18 minutes.
• 18 cool, the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then wide a wide metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completley.
• 19 turn the cookies without the holes, bottom side up leaving a 1/4" plain edges, spread a rounded tsp of jam over each one.
• 20 sift powdered sugar over the cookies with holes, and place them on top of the jam-covered cookies.
• 21 the cookie sandwiches can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• 22 the prep time does not include chilling time.
• 23 i find that toasting whole almonds takes me about 15 minutes. in a 325° preheated oven in single. i can always start to smell them just before they are golden. i cool them before finely chopping them or grinding them in a food processor.