Description
Delightfully tender Almond Heart Cookies made with ground almonds and a touch of almond extract, filled with sweet raspberry or cherry jam, and dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion, these charming sandwich cookies offer a delicate balance of nutty flavor and fruity sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup finely ground almonds
Filling & Topping
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam or cherry preserves
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and finely ground almonds.
- Mix to form dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and cut cookies: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart cookies. For half of these cookies, use a smaller heart cutter to cut out the center, creating a window.
- Bake: Transfer all cookies to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8–10 minutes until the edges just begin to turn golden.
- Cool completely: Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on wire racks.
- Assemble sandwiches: Spread a small amount of raspberry or cherry jam on each whole (non-cut-out) heart cookie, then top with the corresponding cut-out cookie to create sandwich cookies.
- Dust with powdered sugar: Lightly dust the assembled sandwich cookies with powdered sugar before serving for an elegant finish.
Notes
- You can substitute the almond extract with more vanilla extract if you prefer a milder almond flavor.
- Use any red fruit jam such as raspberry or cherry for best flavor and color contrast.
- These cookies freeze well for up to 1 month; thaw before serving.
