Sugar Cookie Sandwiches
To help with your Christmas baking schedule, you can make the dough, cut and bake the cookies and sandwich the cookies on three consecutive days. “What I love about this recipe is you can cut out any shape you want — a star, a pretty fluted circle with a hole in the middle — and sandwich them together,” says creator Yolanda Gampp. “You can switch up the flavours of jam. You can sugar the tops if you want to make them even sweeter.” Roll leftover dough and cut out little stars. Brush with water and top with coloured sugar before baking. Or drizzle with royal icing or melted chocolate once cooled. This way you get more variety from one recipe. You can also bake the “holes” you cut out, too. “So you’re getting more out of the recipe and wasting less.” 2 2/3 cups (650 ml) flour 2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt 1 1/3 cups (325 ml) unsalted butter 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) sugar 4 eggs 1 tbsp. (15 ml) vanilla 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar, for sprinkling 1 cup (250 ml) jam (your choice) In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; add vanilla. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
Chill dough for one hour or up to two days. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Using cookie cutters or freehand, cut cookies into desired shape. Cut a hole or inner window in half of the cookies. Brush water onto the top cookies with the window. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in a 180 C (350 F) oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
Once completely cooled, spread jam on bottom cookie and top it with a cookie that has a hole cut out of it.
Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies (depending on size).