Sugar cookie tarts recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
• 1 pound (4 sticks)unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup Homemade Jam, raspberry or blackberry preserves, or other jam

• Cookie cutters

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes; make sure not to overmix the dough.
3. Scrape the dough from the mixing bowl, divide it in half, and shape into balls. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap, then flatten it into a disk with the palm of your hand. Place the disks in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks, until you are ready to roll them out.
4. To shape the cookies, remove one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until it is supple enough to roll out but still quite firm (it will continue to soften as you work with it). Line two cookie sheets with parchment. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on top and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick. Using a 3-to 4-inch cookie cutter, cut out the cookies in your favorite shapes. Cut a 1½-inch hole in the center of half of the cookies so the jam can peek out. Place the cookies without the holes on one of the lined cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each cookie and top with the cookies with the holes. Put the cookies in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. (You can reroll the scraps and recut cookies one time.) Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even doneness. The cookies should be lightly golden on the edges and the jam should be bubbling. Let cool on wire racks for 20 minutes.
7. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even doneness. The cookies should be lightly golden on the edges and the jam should be bubbling. Let cool on wire racks for 20 minutes.