Almond Raspberry Cookies

These Almond Raspberry Cookies are elegant, pretty, delicious – and the perfect gift for someone special in your life!

this Recipe

Almond Raspberry Cookies are scrumptious bites of love! Raspberry jam is sandwiched between two cinnamon and almond-flavored cookies, that are then dusted with powdered sugar. I’ve included step by step instructions, including how to easily cut out the hearts shapes and then move them to a cookie sheet.

Several years ago, I was looking for something special to give my single friends on Valentine’s Day. Cookies seemed like the perfect gift – who doesn’t like cookies? So, I created these cute Almond Raspberry Cookies, and everyone loved them. At Christmas I decided to make them again for a cookie exchange party, cutting them into gingerbread men, but still cutting the interior shape as a heart. They were a big hit!

These cookies are fun to make with your kids, and then give to their teacher, or coach – or someone else in your life you would like to surprise with a special, delicious home-made present!

Note: I updated this recipe on 2/14/17 after experimenting with the method. I came up with an approach that makes them easier to prepare and pretty much guarantees they keep their pretty shape.  The key is a second round of refrigerating the dough.

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Almond Raspberry Cookies

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Almond Raspberry Cookies are scrumptious bites of love! Raspberry jam is sandwiched between two cinnamon and almond-flavored cookies, that are then dusted with powdered sugar.

• Yield: Around 5 dozen 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 package (14 ounce) blanched slivered (or whole) almonds
• 3 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Good quality raspberry jam or preserves
• Powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Finely grind the almonds in a food processor; set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.
2. Cream butter with an electric mixer (using the paddle attachment) until soft; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla, beating until well mixed.
3. On low, beat in the ground almonds, then the flour mixture. Mix well.
4. Divide dough into fourths, shaping into round, flat patties. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm – overnight is best. (But, if you are like me and not that organized, an hour may be enough; the longer it chills the easier the dough is to work with.)
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) 2 to 4 cookie sheets (depending on how many you have on hand).
6. Take one portion of the dough out of the refrigerator and roll between 2 pieces of waxed paper to 1/4 to 1/8-inch thickness. The thinner the better, but the dough becomes tricky to maneuver when it is really thin. (If you roll it to 1/4 inch thickness, you will end up with about 2 1/2 dozen cookies instead of 4 dozen.)
7. Remove the top piece of waxed paper. Cut the dough with a 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Cut out centers of half of the hearts with a small (1/2 to 1/4-inch) heart or circle-shaped cookie cutter. Refrigerate sheet of cut cookies (use bottom piece of waxed paper to transport) for 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Remove cut cookies from the refrigerator and, using a thin spatula, place cut shapes onto prepared cookie sheets.
9. Re-roll leftover dough and continue cutting out cookies and refrigerate until all the dough is used.
10. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack to cool.
11. Repeat whole procedure with remaining portions of dough that have been in the refrigerator.
12. Using a small spoon spread a small amount of raspberry jam (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) on the bottom side of each solid baked cookie. Top with cut out cookie, bottom side down, and press slightly to adhere. Sift powdered sugar over the top (see Note below).
13. Store in air-tight containers.

Notes

Note: If you want the red centers of the cookies to be brighter, dust the cookie tops with powdered sugar before you place them on top of the jam.

Chocolate Raspberry Valentine Cookies
Melt 6 oounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, making sure not to overcook (takes about a minute – even if they are not all melted, stir them and they will finish melting). Follow recipe as above, except before spreading the bottoms of the solid cookies with jam, using a small basting brush spread them first with the melted chocolate, then the jam.

Raspberry Christmas Cookies
Follow recipe as above except use a 2 to 3-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter instead of a heart shaped cutter. Center cut can still be a small heart or circle.

• Author: (From "A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" by Sally Clayton and Lee Clayton Roper)
• Category: cookies, dessert, make ahead