Bitsy's Kitchen
Tartlet's
2-3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup softened butter 1/2 cup ground almonds
3 oz. package softened cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1 (12 oz.) jar raspberry preserves
confectioner's sugar
Sift flour and baking powder onto wax paper. Beat butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, blending thoroughly. Stir in ground almonds and lemon rind. Turn dough onto wax paper (mixture will be sticky). Shape into ball. Chill several hours or overnight.
Cut dough in half, refrigerate other half. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured pastry board with a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut out with a cookie cutter as many cookies from the dough as you can. Place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Refrigerate scraps of dough for second rolling. Repeat with the other half of the dough, cutting out an equal number of cookies as from the first batch.
With a smaller cutter of the same shape (for instance, 3 inches vs. slightly larger than thimble size) cut out center of each circle. Use all scraps of dough for second rolling, cutting out equal number of solid and cut-out cookies.
Bake in a moderate oven, 350° F., 8 minutes, or until edges of cookie are lightly browned. Remove from oven. Let stand one minute. Remove with a wide spatula to wire racks. Cool thoroughly.
Heat raspberry preserves in a small saucepan. Spread each of the solid cookies completely to edge with a thin layer of hot preserves. Top with a cut-out cookie and press together gently. Place on wire rack, and using flour sifter, sprinkle tops with confectioner's sugar. Spoon a dab of preserves into the opening of each tart. Let preserves cool and set slightly. Store between layers of wax paper in airtight tin.