GERMAN DOPPELDECKER (JAM-FILLED DOUBLE-DECKERS)
Makes 32 to 35 cookies INGREDIENTS
2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
1⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
Raspberry jam, powdered sugar, for dusting
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 400 degrees and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment.
Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix through. Now add the egg and extra yolk and knead into a stiff dough. (Alternatively, put all the ingredients into the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat until they come together as a stiff dough.)
Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough in half and roll one half out to a 1⁄8-inch thickness. Cut out small rounds using a fluted cutter. Lay these on one of the baking sheets. Repeat with the other half of dough, laying the rounds on the second baking sheet. Use a smaller star- or heart-shaped cutter to cut out a shape from the center of half the rounds. (You can either place these small cut-out shapes on another lined baking sheet and bake them after the Doppeldecker, or simply roll them up into a ball of dough with other trimmed dough and continue making the larger biscuits.)
Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Transfer the biscuits to two wire racks, one for the whole biscuits and one for the cut-out biscuits, to cool completely.
Once cool, spoon about 1⁄2 teaspoon jam onto each whole biscuit. Dust each cut-out biscuit with powdered sugar and gently place one on top of each jam-covered biscuit. Stored in an airtight tin, these will keep for at least 3 weeks.