Butter cookie sandwiches

Makes 36 Cakes, Bread and Pastries

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Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/ Gas 2. Put the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high. Beat for around 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the icing sugar and beat until the mixture is foamy. Beat in the vanilla seeds. Add the flour a little at a time and beat until the dough holds together when pressed between your fingers.

Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for around 1 hour until firm.

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. Grease 2 large baking trays. On a lightly floured surface, roll a disc of dough out to a thickness of 0.5cm. Cut out circles using a 5cm round cookie cutter. Gather the scraps, roll out, cut and repeat until you’ve used all of the dough. Transfer to one of the baking trays and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Repeat the process with the remaining disc of dough. Then use a smaller (no bigger than 2.5cm) cookie cutter or the wide end of a piping tip to make a cutout in the centre of each circle. (Discard the small cutout pieces.) Transfer the circles to the second baking tray and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Place both baking trays in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then roll in ground pistachios and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the sandwiches, turn the cookies without holes flat-side up, and gently spread each with 1⁄2tsp of jam. Top with the cut-out cookies, flat side down.