Steps

• In a bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. Add the cold butter cut into pieces and work it quickly until you obtain a sandy texture.

  

• Add the egg and knead the minimum necessary to form a smooth dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.

• Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each half out to a thickness of about 4 mm (about 1/6 inch, ~0.16 in). Cut circles with a cookie cutter for the bases and on the other half cut circles with a small heart-shaped hole in the center. Rework the scraps and form additional cookies so nothing goes to waste.

• Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 12–15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden but the tops are still pale.

• Let the cookies cool completely before filling. Put a teaspoon of apple jam in the center of each whole cookie and place a cookie with the hole on top, pressing gently to adhere.

• If you don’t have apple jam, you can make a simple homemade purée. Slice about 7 oz of apples (about 1 medium apple) and cook them in a saucepan with 1 cup of water and a splash of lemon.
  Mash the apples until you obtain a smooth purée, then add about 5 tbsp of sugar (≈60 g) and a pinch of cinnamon. Continue cooking over low heat, covered, for 10–15 minutes. Let cool and use the mixture as filling for the cookies.

• Bon appétit and… see you in the next recipe!