Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, place ¾ cup unsalted butter (room temperature), ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Beat with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Add 1 large egg (room temperature), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional). Beat until well combined, scraping the bowl two or three times to fully incorporate the ingredients.
• Add 2 cups all-purpose flour in 2–3 additions and mix on low until the flour is completely incorporated. Scrape the bowl as needed and avoid overmixing.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface and roll it to ¼ inch thickness.
• Use a 1½-inch round or scalloped cookie cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible. Gather scraps, gently knead once or twice, reroll to ¼ inch, and cut more cookies as needed.
• On half of the cut cookies, use a ½-inch heart or circle cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center to create the top pieces for the sandwich cookies.
• Place all cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Chill the baking sheets in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Bake the cookies for 7–8 minutes, until the edges are just barely turning light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
• Once cooled, spread a scant teaspoon of strawberry jam (or your favorite jam) onto each whole cookie (the ones without the center cut-out). Top each with a cut-out cookie to form a sandwich.