Be Mine!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi All!

Glad to see you again!  Can you believe it's almost February?  Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so it's time to remember the ones you love whether it's a spouse, a parent, your crazy Aunt Betty or a faithful friend!  Even the most conscientious eaters among us (know any?) enjoy a plate of homemade cookies!  Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, these look like the traditional Linzer type, but instead are delicate, flaky, pie-type pastry-- slightly sweet and filled with raspberry jam.  Don't waste the centers, either!  Put them together with melted chocolate for some scrumptious little sweethearts :)

Filled Pastry Hearts

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 4 tablespoons ice water

• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• Jar of raspberry jam
• Bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (you won't use them all)
• Combine the flour and sugar in a food processor.  Add the butter and process until the mixture is combined, but chunks of butter are still visible.  Mix the water and egg yolks together with a fork and add them to the flour / butter mixture.  Pulse together until the mixture comes together-- don't overprocess!
• Plop the dough out on some plastic wrap.  Squish it together to form a disk and wrap securely.  Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more.
• Line some cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 375F.
• On a floured pastry cloth (you can use a clean tea towel), roll out 1/2 the dough until it's pretty thin, but not too thin-- about 1/8 inch.  Cut the dough out with a heart-shaped cutter, then cut out a center with a smaller heart cutter and place the cookies on the lined cookie sheets.  Repeat with the other half of the dough, but cut only solid, large hearts.
• Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, but it depends on how large the cookies are.   Also, the large, solid hearts will take longer to bake.  Bake them until they are golden brown-- don't under bake them.  Allow them to cool on the baking sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• Spread the solid hearts with raspberry (or strawberry) jam.  Press the hearts with the cut out centers on top and press lightly.  
• Melt some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave and spread half the little hearts with chocolate.  Top with another little heart to make sandwich cookies.
• Serve to your favorite Valentine(s) !

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