Apricot Jam Cookies

Make the pastry:

1. Combine: Place the cubed cold butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla extract, and almonds into a food processor. Pulse shortly until the mixture starts to come together. Alternatively, use the mixer fitted with the dough hook to make the dough.½ cup unsalted butter / 125 g + ½ cup granulated sugar / 100 g + 1 large egg + 2 cups all-purpose flour / 250 g + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + ⅓ cup ground almonds / 50 g
2. Form dough ball: Transfer the mixture to a working surface and knead it briefly until a smooth ball forms.
3. Refrigerate dough: Flatten the pastry by gently pressing it down and then wrap it securely in cling film or plastic wrap. Place the wrapped pastry in the refrigerator and let it chill for approximately 30 minutes.

Cut the dough:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cut cookies: Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a lightly floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll it to approximately 0.10 inches/ 3 mm thick. Then, cut out the cookies from the rolled dough using the cookie cutter.
3. Roll out the remaining piece of dough in the same manner as before. Once rolled, count the cookies and cut out a small circle from the center of half of the cookies. For this step, you can use a tiny cookie cutter or the wider end of an icing nozzle.
4. Roll scraps: Lightly knead the dough scraps and roll them out again. Ensure an equal number of whole and cut-in-the-middle cookies are made by cutting out the shapes. Repeat this process until all the dough is used.

Bake:

1. Bake: Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake them one tray at a time for approximately 10 minutes or until they turn lightly golden. While baking the first batch, you can continue cutting shapes for the next batch.
2. Cool: Allow the baked cookies to sit on the tray for about 3 to 4 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool down completely.

Fill the cookies:

1. Warm jam: Place the jam into a small pot. Warm it gently over low heat, stirring frequently. Use a hand-held mixer to blend the jam into a smoother consistency.about ½ cup apricot jam / 175 g
2. Spread a small quantity of jam on each whole, uncut cookie. Then, match them with the cut-in-the-middle cookies to form sandwich pairs. Sprinkle a bit of icing sugar over all the cookies using a small sieve.2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
3. Fill the holes in the center of the cookies with the remaining jam. Allow the jam to set properly.
4. Store in airtight containers. They will stay fresh for approximately one to two weeks.