Ingredients
Scale
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./168 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (3 1/4 oz./100 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 1/2 tsp.)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups (5 1/3 oz./170 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) almond flour
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Raspberry jam as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and poppy seeds. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined, about 2 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one disk of dough at a time from the refrigerator and let stand until it feels soft enough to roll, 5 to 15 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out a dough disk about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) round or snowflake-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Use an offset spatula to help lift the cookie dough shapes off the counter, then transfer them to a prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gather up and roll out the dough scraps, then cut out more cookies to yield a total of 15. Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Position 1 rack in the center and 1 rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
- While the first batch of cookies is chilling, roll out the remaining dough as directed above and cut out 15 rounds or snowflake shapes. Transfer the cookies to the other prepared baking sheet and use a small cookie cutter to make a peekaboo cutout in the center of each cookie. (These will be the tops of the sandwich cookies.) Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Bake all of the cookies until the edges are just beginning to turn brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets (front to back and between racks) once during baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Place the cookies with the center cutout on a cookie sheet so they are top side up and sift confectioners’ sugar over the top. Turn the solid cookies so they are flat side up and spoon 1 tsp. raspberry jam into the center, spreading it slightly. Top each with a sugar-dusted cookie and press lightly.
- Store the filled cookies, well wrapped, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Makes 15 sandwich cookies.