Buttery shortbread cookies with strawberry jam, dusted with pink strawberry sugar. These look like linzer cookies but have no nuts and no eggs in them.
Place butter and sugar in a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the butter is soft and fluffy.
Mix in vanilla and salt, then add half of the flour. Mix on low speed until incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the rest of the flour and keep mixing until the batter is smooth.
Divide dough in 2 equal pieces and wrap each piece in cling film (or parchment paper), patting it into a 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick disk. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days ahead.
Bake cookies
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Take once disc of dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for about 15 minutes. Then roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper so it’s about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
Using a round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between all the cookies, and chill them in the refrigerator while you roll out the other half of the dough.
Take the other disc of dough and roll it out as you did the first. Cut out as many circles as possible, ideally the same number as before. Then cut out a heart (or circle) from the interior of circles, creating sort of a donut shape that will become the top of the cookie.Place these cookies on another lined baking sheet, along with the smaller cut out hearts, and place it in the refrigerator to chill. At the same time, take out your first batch of chilled cookies.
Bake the first batch of cookies in the center of the oven for 8-10 minutes (depending on size) until they’re golden brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven and allow to set on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate.
Bake the second batch of cookies for 8-10 minutes and allow these to set on the baking sheet as well. Continue with the rest of the dough in the same manner until you’ve baked all the cookies.
Knead together any scraps of dough that you have leftover and combine them into a disc. Chill it again if needed, then roll out more cookies.
Assemble cookies
To make pink sugar, combine powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberries in a blender. Blend on high speed until you get a pink dust. Using a fine mesh sieve, dust the cut-out cookies.
To make sandwich cookies, spread about a teaspoon of strawberry jam onto larger circles. Place dusted cookies on top of the jam. Keep cookies in a covered container at room temperature and eat within 2-3 days.
Notes
I am using a round cookie cutter with a diameter that's a little under 3-inches (7.5 cm). And a smaller heart cookie cutter that fits in the center.If you have a small refrigerator that doesn’t fit your baking sheet (to chill the cookies), put some foil or parchment paper on a cutting board and place cookies on top. Put this board in the fridge and chill the cookies, then transfer them to a baking sheet to bake.Buy a strawberry jam or jelly that is very thick. If it’s very runny when you open the jar, you might need to use less than the recommended teaspoon to prevent your cookies from falling apart. You could also cook it on the stove to reduce it a bit. I also find that filled cookies stick together better if you give them some time to set and dry in the open.