DESIGN • ART DIRECTION • Culinary enthusiast

Recipes

Raspberry Jam Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients

  • For the Jam:

    1 C raspberries

    1 ¼ C Sugar

    For the biscuits:

    1 ¼ C very soft unsalted butter

    1 ¼ C granulated sugar

    2 large eggs

    1 tsp vanilla extract

    2 ¼ C All purpose flour

    ¼ C cornstarch

    ¼ tsp salt

    For the filling:

    ½ C unsalted butter, softened

    2 tbsp cream cheese

    1/3 C powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting

    Dash of salt

    1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Step 1
    Make the jam. Place the raspberries in a small, deep-sided pan and crush them with a potato masher. Add the sugar and bring the liquid to the boil over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Then, increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the jam through a sieve into a heatproof bowl. Discard the seeds in the sieve. Leave the jam to cool, then chill it to set.
  2. Step 2
    Heat the oven to 325°F.
  3. Step 3
    Make the biscuits. Place the butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well for 3–5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly combined.
  4. Step 4
    Sift in the flour and cornstarch and mix by hand to a crumbly dough. Bring the dough together with your hands and knead it gently on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Do not overwork.
  5. Step 5
    Halve the dough and shape each half into a flat disc. Wrap the discs and chill them for 20 minutes.
  6. Step 6
    Unwrap one of the dough discs on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to about 3mm thick. Using the fluted round cutter, cut out 12 rounds, re-rolling the trimmings as necessary.
  7. Step 7
    Place the 12 discs on one of the lined baking sheets. Chill them while you roll out the remaining dough.
  8. Step 8
    Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the remaining dough disc, then, using the heart-shaped cutter, stamp out the center of 12 of the rounds. Place these on the other baking sheet and chill them for 20 minutes.
  9. Step 9
    Bake the biscuits for 10–12 minutes, until the edges start to turn a pale golden color. Leave them to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Step 10
    Make the filling. Put the butter into a bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. Add the vanilla and, using a wooden spoon or an electric hand whisk, beat until very light and smooth.
  11. Step 11
    Dollop a spoonful of the filling onto the smooth side of each of the 12 plain biscuits, spreading it to the edges with a palette knife. Spoon a little jam over the buttercream, then sandwich, smooth side downwards, with the 12 cut-out heart biscuits. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.