Strawberry Filled Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine or butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 Tablespoons strawberry jam (or more)

Directions

1. n a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the margarine and confectioners sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat on low speed until well blended.
3. Add the dry ingredients and beat until the dough comes together.
4. Press the dough together into a ball, then divide it in half. Gather each half into a ball, flatten each ball into a disk 5 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Remove 1 dough disk from the refrigerator.
8. Lightly dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick. Slide a thin metal spatula under the dough to loosen it from the rolling surface.
9. Cut with a floured 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Cut out the centers of half of the cookies with a 1 inch. round cookie cutter. Make an equal amount of bottoms and tops. Place your cookies on the prepared baking sheet, about 1-2 inches apart. Repeat with the second dough disk.
10. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the edges are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
11. Spread with 1 teaspoon of jam on each of the cookies that has not been cut out. Place a cut out cookie on top to form a sandwich and spoon in a little more jam to fill the centers.
12. Cookies should be stored in an airtight container.