Strawberry Almond Shortbread Thumprint Cookies

These cookies are great.  It's nice to have a cookie option that doesn't require eggs and only has a few ingredients.  You can add any jam you like in the center but I'm partial to strawberry and raspberry with the almond flavor.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a hand mixer combine butter, confectioners sugar, almond extract and salt together until smooth.  Add flour and mix until dough comes together into a ball.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll dough into even size balls and place on cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven.  With the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon make indentations in the center of each cookie and fill indentations with jam.  Place back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the cookies are golden brown on top and bottom.

Let cool on a wire rack.