A perfect Valentine!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoon half and half or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups seedless strawberry jam (or raspberry if you prefer)
For the Frosting
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Pink, red or white sanding sugar - or a combination of colors.
Equipment needed:
Large and small heart shaped cookie cutters.
Instructions:
Sift together sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add other ingredients and blend with mixer on low speed. Be patient! The mixture will look crumbly initially, but continue mixing until it forms a ball.
Wrap dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for about 1/2 - 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll our dough on floured surface. Since you will be stacking two cookies to make a sandwich, the dough should be rolled quite thin (1/8 - 1/4 inch). For half of the cookies also cut out a small heart inside the large heart shape. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 6 - 9 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and place on cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
To prepare the frosting, combine powdered sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in mixing bowl. Mix until stiff peaks are formed, about 5 minutes. Add 1-2 Tablespoon water until consistency is spreadable.
Pour sanding sugar into shallow dish or plate. You can use one color or mix colors together on the plate.
Spread each cookie with a cut out heart with the frosting. Carefully dip the cookie into the sanding sugar, covering the frosting with colored sugar. Repeat with all cookies with the cut out heart.
Allow to dry.
Stir strawberry jam to soften it. Using the solid cookie, spread about 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam on the surface of each cookie.
Top with frosted cookie, pushing down slightly so the cookies will stick together.
Happy Valentine's Day!
