Little gems

I came across this recipe on Gourmet.com they are called Aunt Sis's Strawberry Tart Cookies. I saw how cute they were and just had to try them. They ended up being the perfect little snack cookie. All it is, is a sugar cookie, but it has an interesting way to prepare the dough. I was questioning how easy it was, but within a blink of an eye, it all came together. These HONESTLY were one of the easiest cookies I have made, but definitely very special. Next time I am going to roll the balls in some sugar to give in a nice crust.

**this makes a whole lot of cookies, I recommend halving the recipe the first time if you are just trying them**

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 large egg yolks, beaten lightly
1 cup strained strawberry jam

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, the sugar, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal **use a pastry blender or two knives cutting the butter in or ever just a fork**. Stir in the egg yolks, blend the mixture until it forms a dough, and chill the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Let the dough soften slightly, roll level teaspoons of it into balls, and arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball, being careful not to crack the dough around the edges. (If the dough cracks, re roll it and try again.) Fill each indentation with about 1/4 teaspoon of the jam and bake the cookies in batches in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are pale golden. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, transfer them to racks, and let them cool completely. The cookies may be made 1 month in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers.

I used Strawberry Jam, seedless black berry jam, Guava jelly, and my favorite...Lemon Curd