My mom and I loved holiday baking together. Some years we focused on pie, some years on sweet loaf breads….but cookies were always a must. A few years ago my mom and I made some of these delights….she showed me how to even make a fancy version of them with center cut outs for what I like to call a “stained-glass” effect (see the notes section of the recipe for the details).
Baking for others…
This year I knew I wouldn’t enjoy baking by myself, so I wanted to make the act a little extra special. I decided to volunteer and help bake cookies for a local food bank :)— my mom would have LOVED doing this.
Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is creating thank you baskets for vendors of local farmer’s markets that donate their unsold fresh produce to the food bank so that they in turn can bring THOUSANDS of pounds of healthy, organic fruits and vegetables to those in need. I’m honored to make these Raspberry Jam Shortbread Sandwiches as a token of gratitude for these souls and business owners that make healthy eating and giving back to the community a part of their mission.
What I love about these delights…
What I love most about these cookies is that these light, berry-filled delights literally melt in your mouth :). They are also fun to make, versatile enough to make for the holidays, Valentine’s day or any other special occasions. And, best of all you can make the dough ahead of time and store it in your freezer for up to 2 month!
To eliminate overwhelm with holiday cookie baking…
My suggestion to eliminate overwhelm and keep your peace with holiday baking is to break it up into steps. That way you can do a little prep one day and bake them another; closer to when you want to enjoy them with friends and family.
For instance, when baking these cookies for AFAC, I did the following:
- Tuesday evening – Grocery shopping (or over the weekend)
- Wednesday evening – I made the logs of this dough
- Thursday morning – I baked and sandwiched them
- Friday morning – they will be delivered
Each step took 30-75 minutes. So instead of it being a 3-4 hour project….it felt more like a quick daily project, a few days in a row.
The night I made the dough, I even made two extra logs, so that next week when my family visits for Thanksgiving, we can do a little baking and sandwich making together…as we catch up and enjoy the holiday weekend together.
So in the spirit of reciprocating kindness and spreading a little holiday sweetness, happy baking, friends :).
xo,
Kajal
P.S. If you make these sweet delights, please be sure to leave a comment and let me know how they turned out!
Raspberry Jam Shortbread Sandwiches
Ingredients
- * 4 cups all-purpose flour
- * 1¼ teaspoons coarse salt
- * 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- * 6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped), room temperature
- * 1¼ cups sugar
- * 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- * Raspberry Jam
Instructions
- Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and cream cheese in another bowl and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
- Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8½-inch long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 1 month.*
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
- Unwrap 1 log and cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.**
- Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
- Once completely cooled, spread jam on one cookie and sandwich with the other :).
Notes
*If baking the next day… I keep the logs in the refrigerator overnight, as they are easier to slice. But if you do this, make sure to only take one log out at a time and slice and bake immediately. Because the butter content is so high, the dough will become soft if left out too long.
P.S.S. Kindness Cards are great addition to holiday place table settings….a little love note to all your guests.
