Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam

Directions:

1. Using a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Shape the cookie dough into balls. Mine were about 1 Tablespoon of dough per ball. Make sure they're nice and smooth. If you find the balls of dough are sticky and/or have gotten a little soft after rolling- place the balls of dough back into the refrigerator to firm up. You absolutely DO NOT want soft dough. Make an indention with your thumb into each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your finger if you can. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine to have a few cracks. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (Or however much it can hold.)
3. Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 14-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do no over bake. In fact, I only baked mine for 13-14 minutes. I prefer them a little soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wore rack.

~Recipe from sallybakingaddiction.com

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut up
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup raspberry jam (preferably seedless)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-9-inch baking pan with butter or non-stick spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the flour and salt and beat just until the dough forms clumps. Don't over mix. Turn out the dough onto a piece of waxed paper. Lightly flour your hands and squeeze the dough into a ball (the warmth of your hands will soften the dough enough to hold it together).
3. Divide the dough into thirds. Crumble one third into a bowl and set it aside. Press the remaining two thirds evenly into the greased pan and bake it on the center oven rack for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the dough are lightly golden. While the dough cools, add the oats and nuts to the reserved dough in the bowl and pinch the ingredients together so that the mixture becomes crumbly.
4. Spread the raspberry jam on the baked shortbread (it's okay if the dough is still warm), then cover the jam with an even layer of the crumb topping. Bake the bars for 20 to 24 minutes, until the top crumbs are golden brown. While the shortbread is still slightly warm, cut it into 2 1/4-inch squares. Once the bars cool completely (they are very fragile while warm), lift them from the pan with a spatula. 

~Recipe from spoonful.com