Lemon Raspberry Jam Cookies

These are sometimes called linzer cookies, but a little different. I think with linzer cookies, you bake the individual halves of the sandwich and then add the jam after. This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book (2002 version of the 1963 edition): Ethel's sugar cookies. I never made them before I got married because I never thought lemon belonged in sugar cookies. My husband loves lemon flavored anything and so requested I make these yummy jam cookies using the Ethel recipe.

Sadly, I am without my 2002/1963 edition, and so had to look up the recipe on the internet. What with Betty Crocker moving into the instant mix phase, I have had trouble in the past finding a recipe for any of her sugar cookies. Luckily, someone posted this recipe on Betty Crocker.com and I was able to move forward.

Here is the recipe I used for lemon, filled sugar cookies.
Ethel's Sugar Cookies

Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book

3/4 cup Butter; softened
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Flour; sifted
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
Sugar; for dusting (optional)

Thoroughly mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, and flavoring of choice. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture. Chill for at least 1 hour. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. cut into desired shapes with cookie cutter dipped in flour. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until all of the dough is used. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake in a moderate/hot (400F) oven until delicately golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies.

VARIATIONS:
Lemon Sugar Cookies: Follow the basic recipe above, except use 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in place of the flavoring.

Filled Sugar Cookies: Follow the basic recipe above except put together in pairs before baking with 1 tablespoon filling of your choice or a solid chocolate mint wafer between. Press the edges of the cookies together with the tines of a fork.

Nut Sugar Cookies: Follow the basic recipe above except mix 1 cup of finely chopped nuts into the dough.

I used raspberry jam as my filling. This raspberry jam is special though: it's made from scratch. In the spring, my sister-in-law likes to make freezer jam. The past two years I've been around to help out. Luckily, there was another container of raspberry jam left.  

For linzer cookies (and how I've always made these cookies before) the top half gets a shape cut out of it with a small cookie cutter: a square, star or circle. This time, I was working with limited resources and so instead, I just made an "x" in the top cookie before putting them together. It worked pretty well. It's not very pretty (as you will see) but they tasted VERY yummy. Happy cookies.