One of my favorite flavor combinations is lemon and raspberry. Lemonade, dessert, adult beverage, it doesn’t matter, I love the combination of tart and sweet. Let’s face it lemon and raspberry complement each other better than night and day. Because Christmas comes in the winter these are two flavors that aren’t traditionally combined in any cookies or holiday desserts, both are more summer flavors. Here in Ohio, after having had more than a month of frigid weather we are usually up for something that makes us forget that we haven’t seen grass or leaves on a tree in weeks. Some people go to an indoor water park or plan a January cruise, we make cookies.

Lemon Raspberry Sandwiches are a lemony shortbread filled with raspberry jelly and glazed with an extra tart glaze. They are light and delicious. I debuted them last year and they were always the first cookie gone on the platter (when placed next to Christmas Snickerdoodles that’s impressive). Getting these cookies right relies on a few tricks: 1) you can never have enough lemon zest and extract, 2) your dough needs to refrigerate at least overnight, 3) don’t bake the cookies until they are golden brown, and finally 4) patience. While you can use just any old raspberry jelly to fill these cookies, be sure to select a higher quality with fewer additives, because it’s worth it. The extra flavor makes these cookies what they are.

Cookie Dough (makes about 48 cookies, 24 sandwiches)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1 cup raspberry jelly
• 1 Tablespoon cool water

Glaze:

• juice of 1 lemon (about 1/6 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the extracts, zest, and egg yolks, mixing until smooth. Add in the flour and other dry ingredients and beat until a solid dough forms. Do not overwork the dough. On a lightly floured surface separate the dough into three portions. Roll each portion into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, line your baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and place the logs on a lightly floured surface. Slice the log into cookies about 1/3 inch thick. Place the cookies an inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Until the middles feel and appear dry. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

After the cookies have cooled, mix the jelly and water until spreadable, and mix the lemon juice, extract, and powdered sugar to make the glaze. Take 2 cookies (I tend to follow along with the way I placed them on the baking sheet, ensuring a good fit) painting every other cookie with the filling using a pastry brush. Top with a second cookie. Let the filling set a little bit (if you do this step all at once by the time you have filled your last cookie the filling in the first will have set enough to proceed). Paint the top of the sandwich with glaze, wait for it to dry (again if you do this all at once by the time the last cookie is glazed the first will be dry). Turn the sandwiches over and glaze the bottom as well. Allow the glaze to completely dry before storing. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a few days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.