Raspberry Sandwich Butter Cookies

These amazing butter cookies melt in your mouth and are the best cookies I have ever had! I guarantee that anyone who tries them will love them. Inspired by Harry and David's raspberry galettes, I decided that I could use our favorite cookie recipe and some raspberry jam for a dessert that could be even more delicious. Sure enough, the homemade ones were far better and a fraction of the cost. Plus, the sandwich concept kept them from smearing against each other, so they are much better for giving as gifts than regular frosted cookies.

A very dear friend of ours passed this cookie recipe to our family a long time ago. We love her so much and she is pretty much our adopted grandmother. Even though no one will ever make better butter cookies than her, we bake them together every year as a holiday tradition. I hope that they bring just as much joy to your family as well!

Yield: Approximately 24-28 cookies, or 12-14 sandwiches

Cookies

1 cup of softened butter

2/3 cup of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Raspberry filling and chocolate drizzle

Small jar of seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate chips

Freezer quart plastic bag

Optional

3 8-ounce mason jars

Ribbon

Beat together the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Then, add the egg. After the egg is fully incorporated, slowly add the flour and baking powder until the dough forms.

Roll the dough into a big ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

During this time, preheat the oven to 350º F.

After the dough is done chilling, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Then, use a circular cookie cutter that is just smaller than the mouth of the mason jar to cut out the cookies. I just used the mouth of a water bottle, but you can use a glass or any other object that works.

Bake each pan of cookies for 8-9 minutes, until edges are set but middle is still soft. If you want to bake them for a little longer, they will take on a crunchier, shortbread-like texture which is also really good.

Even though the cookies are perfectly delicious by this point, adding raspberry and chocolate will make them even better.

First, pair up the cookies. Even though they are all around the same size, some fit better together than others. The bottoms of the cookie should face the inside of the sandwich.

Using a small spoon or butter knife, put a small dollop of jam on a the cookie and put the other one on top. Repeat for all the cookies.

Although the chocolate drizzle is optional, it adds a lot to the cookie and it is actually pretty easy.

Put a handful of chocolate chips into a freezer quart Ziploc bag and microwave it in 20-second increments until melted. Then, snip a tiny hole in the corner and drizzle onto the cookie in a back-and-forth motion. The bag should not touch the cookie but should be just above, so the chocolate can fall into the cookie. I tried a couple different drizzle designs and they all turned out pretty good.

Drop the cookies straight into the mason jar. But make sure to do it carefully! I find it helpful to tilt the jar a bit for the very first cookie, so it goes in more easily. Then, decorate the jars.

I added some ribbon and made these discs of paper to decorate the lid of the jars. I've attached a blank version in case you want to make some of your own.

I hope you really enjoy these cookies and good luck baking!

Cookie credit goes to Mrs. Dianne Johnson- Thank you Ms. Dianne!