Butter Cookies – Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 lbs. butter (3 sticks), softened at room temp
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• rind of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ cup powdered sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• Strawberry jam for filling

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, blend softened butter, egg yolks and eggs.
2. Mix in the lemon rind, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
4. Mix flour mixture into the egg mixture, until well blended. You can use a mixer, or work the dough by hand.
5. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
6. Work with one dough ball at a time, massage the dough in your hands for a minute or so, to soften it and to flatten the ball.
7. Now place it on a lightly floured work surface, flour lightly on top, and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
8. Cut out cookies with a star-shaped cookie cutter.
9. Cut out a circle in the middle in only 1/2 of the cookies, so the bottom cookie will be whole and the top will have an opening to show the jam from the layer below. ( I use the large end of a cake decorating tip as the cut out tool).
10. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, at least 1/2 inch apart.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for 10-12 minutes, or until they set, and the edges are lightly golden, not browned.
12. Remove baked cookies onto a wire cookie rack, to cool completely.
13. Spread a thin layer of jam on the whole cookie, and top it with the cookie with a cut out circle.
14. Press together gently.
15. Store in an air tight container, in a cool place.
16. Before serving, sprinkle tops of cookies with powdered sugar.