Festive Cookies

Vegetarian

Serves 15 people

1.5 hrs min prep

12 min cook

These cookies can be adapted to fit any holiday or occasion - just change what shaped cookie cutter you use, and which Anathoth Jam you use as your filling.

By Sally Boyle, Simmer and Boyle

Celebration,

Baking,

Desserts

Ingredients

225g Butter
150g Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 Egg yolk
100g Almond meal
300g Plain flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Anathoth Farm Strawberry Jam
Icing sugar

Method

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand-held mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla and egg yolks, and mix to combine.
Add ground almonds, and with the mixer on slow, beat to combine.
Sift flour and salt together, then add to the dough, mix slowly until just combined
Divide dough in half, roll each half between two sheets of baking paper to 5mm thick, leaving the dough between the sheets of baking paper, transfer to baking trays and rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 175ºC fan, 195ºC conventional.
Use a 6cm cookie cutter to cut rounds from sheets of dough, transfer to lined baking trays, leaving 2cm clearance around each cookie
Collect off cuts together and re-roll, popping it back into the fridge for 10 minutes or so if it becomes too soft to handle.
Use a smaller, approximately 2.5cm cutter to cut a circle from the centre of half the cookies, save these little rounds, bake them separately to make mini sandwiches cookies.
Bake cookies for 12 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges, then transfer to racks to cool.
When the cookies are completely cool, turn the solid round cookies upside down and top with a teaspoon of Anathoth Farm jam; dust the cookie rings with icing sugar then gently press onto the bases
Using a couple of teaspoons, very carefully top the centres of the cookies with a little extra jam.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for several days, you can make the cookies in advance, but fill them just before serving as they will soften quickly once filled.