Strawberry Jam Sandwich Cookies

For the cookies:
Start by beating your butter and sugar together using an electric mixer. Once that is nice and creamed add the egg, vanilla and buttermilk and mix until well combined then set aside.

Next in another bowl sift the flour, baking soda and salt together then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients one third at a time and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix! Once the dough comes together wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge to rest for at least one hour.

Next preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Unwrap chilled dough, plop it on a well-floured board and cut it in half. Then roll the dough out one half at a time to about ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut your shapes out. I used a 3 inch round cutter with a scalloped edge. Then I used a 1 inch heart cutter to cut the center out of half the cookies to make these cute sandwich shapes perfect for Valentine’s Day. If you decide to do this just be sure you have the same number of whole round cookies (for the bottom) as ones with heart-shaped cut outs in the middle (for the top).

Then place your cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 14 minutes, rotating them halfway through the cooking time.

While you are waiting for your cookies to bake let’s start the simple filling. In a small sauce pot add your jam, orange zest and salt and let this come to a slow boil, using a whisk to bring everything together. Once the jam is at a boil remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.

When your cookies are done baking place them on a cooling rack. Once they are nice and cool it’s time to assemble your sandwich cookies. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the jam on the flat side of the round cookie then top with heart cut out cookie. Press them together and voilà! The prefect little sandwich cookie for V-Day!

You can also top the cookies with a little dusting of powdered sugar for some extra sweetness!