Les Sable Algerian Sweetheart Butter Shortcake Cookies

For the Sables

• 1cup margarine or 1 cup butter, softened

• 1⁄2cup granulated sugar

• 1large free range egg

• 2 1⁄2cups plain flour (allpurpose)

• 1teaspoon baking powder

• 1tablespoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring or 1⁄2teaspoon vanilla extract

• To decorate

• 3⁄4cup strawberry jam (or preserve of your choice)

• 1⁄2-3⁄4cup icing sugar (confectioners) or peanuts/almond bits or cocconut shreds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 170°C

2. Cream the margarine & sugar(s) until light & fluffy.

3. Beat in the egg & vanilla, then gradually fold in the flour & baking powder.

4. Mix slowly until a soft dough forms. The dough is very soft & needs handling with care but it shouldn't be sticky. If your dough is still a little sticky, sift in a little extra flour.

5. Roll out to about 4mm thick, be sure to flour the rolling pin well.

6. Cut out 'tops & bottoms' for your sables.

7. Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil (shiny side up) & bake for 8 minutes. The sables should be just set but still white.

8. Allow the sables to cool on the sheet for a minute then remove to a cold plate or tray to finish cooling.

9. When the sables are fully cooled, fill one flat cookie with jam and cover it with one cookie that has been molded in the center & repeat this for all cookies

10. You could do this with any cookie cutter ofcourse, The video turorial only shows the traditional way but you can get creative as this dough is very versitile! For the hole in the middle you can also mold it into any shape or you can use a tiny bottle lid as well

11. Allow to set, then store in one layer in an airtight container for upto 10 days. Or frozen for several months.

Bon Apetite!