Linzer Cookies

3/4 pound butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
raspberry preserves
powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, and then add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto a floured surface and shape into a flat disk. Cover all sides with plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle more flour over the cutting board or pastry cloth, and roll out the shortbread dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a fluted round, then cut out the centers of half of them with the wide end of a pastry decorating tip. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, and chill for at least 15 minutes before baking.

After chilling, bake dough until the edges are a faint golden brown. Start checking for doneness after 10 minutes in the oven. Thicker cookies will take upwards of 15-18 minutes to bake through. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on racks to cool for several minutes. Once cool, spread a thin layer of raspberry preserves on the solid rounds, bottom sides up. Sift powdered sugar over the hollowed tops (bottom sides down again), then sandwich the layers together.