Raspberry Tarts

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 egg yolks
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/3 cup ground walnuts
1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the flour, egg yolks, butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and mix again. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface until it creates soft dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

After removing the dough from the refrigerator, lightly flour the surface again and roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Using two heart-shaped cookie cutters, one larger than the other, cut out the cookie dough until all dough is used. On half of the cookies, use the smaller heart cutter to cut out the center of the cookie; this will be used for the top.

Beat the egg whites and then brush the whites onto the tops of the cookie. Next, mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the ground walnuts. Sprinkle this mixture over the tops of the cookie. Bake both sets of the cookies for 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Allow them to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the cookie bottom. Place the top on the cookie. This recipe makes about 26 Raspberry Tart cookies.