CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY JEWELS

Steps:

• 1. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Melt in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until chocolate is almost melted. Remove and stir until chocolate is melted. Set aside a few moments to cool.
• 2. Cream softened butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Add chocolate and mix.
• 3. Sift dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture and mix. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Add all the filling ingredients and stir over low heat until the filling is clear and thickened. Remove and cool.
• 5. Remove 1/4 of the dough to a floured board and pat quickly into a disk. Sprinkle disk with flour and roll ¼ inch thick on floured board. Cut the dough with a heart shaped cookie cutter.
• 6. Use smaller heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out center of half of the hearts.
• 7. Put 1 teaspoon of raspberry filling in the center on a cookie. Sandwich with the heart shaped dough that has the smaller heart cut out. Lightly press edges together and place on a plate and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
• 8. Ball up scraps of cookie dough and refrigerate while you take out another portion of dough and roll and continue as previously instructed until you have enough cookies to fill your cookie sheet. Place the sandwiched cookies on a greased cookie sheet leaving plenty of room in between them and bake at 325 degrees for 12 -14 minutes depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Note: You will need to keep this dough chilled in between the rolling steps. I cut the hearts one at a time and immediately put them on the baking sheet. I put them in the refrigerator to chill before I add the raspberry filling. Then I put the tops on and quickly and gently pinch the edges together and chill them. They will lift from the floured board easily until they warm up. Working quickly is essential to success. This recipe makes 24 sandwiched cookies.