Raspberry Ribbon Shortbread

A tender shortbread cookie, filled with raspberry and drizzled with icing - so great together, just like they were made for each other.

Raspberry Ribbon Shortbread Cookies

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup raspberry jam (blueberry or strawberry jam may be substituted)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cookie Dough:

-In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whip attachment or with a hand mixer, cream sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg , milk and vanilla extract.

-Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour and salt, then mix until dough just comes together. Spoon the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a rough ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill for 1 hour or until firm.

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place parchment paper into a cookie sheet.

-Lightly flour work surface. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and one at a time roll into a rope that is about 12 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Lightly flour hands to keep dough from sticking. Evenly space the ropes onto the parchment paper.

-Create a 1/4 inch groove down the center of each rope with the handle of a wooden spoon or a dowel.

-Place cookie ropes in oven and bake 12 minutes. Remove tray from oven and spoon or pipe the jam down the center of each rope. (If the dough puffs up while baking, press it down gently to make space for the jam. Bake about 5 minutes longer or until the strips are a light golden brown. (be careful to not overbake as the cookies should be very tender.)

-Let cool about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Then remove to a cutting board and slice on a diagonal about an inch wide.

For the glaze:

-In a small bowl whisk together sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Place glaze in a plastic sandwich bag and squeeze the glaze to one corner. Snip off a very small piece of the corner point and drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cookies. Or use a spoon or fork to drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Makes about 24 - 30 cookies.

Divide dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a 12 inch long rope.

Create a groove down the center of each dough rope with a wooden spoon handle.

Prebake the cookie ropes and spoon jam down the center groove.

Cool cookies, cut into 1 inch diagonal slices, then drizzle with glaze.

So hard to eat just one - so eat more!