Berry Shortbread Dreams

This is the first recipe I am trying for the cookbook I got from my mom for Christmas this past year, Taste of Home Cooking Through the Seasons. Usually I would have started this before March, I have just had a lot of other things to finish up first. So, I really like shortbread cookies. Also I like raspberry jam. So it is obvious why I wanted to try these cookies. I made them for home fellowship. There are not very many ingredients, and the dough was quick to throw together.

Berry Shortbread Dreams
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tsp water

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract; gradually add the flour until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle (you should not refrigerate it for 2 hours and 10 minutes like I did, naively thinking that it wouldn't matter if it chilled through lunch...if you do this, when you try to take the dough out, you will have to chip it out, it won't stay in balls, and you will have to leave it on your counter for an hour to get it to the right temperature...just a word to the wise).

Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center. Fill with jam (kind of tricky...I just put a bit on the end of a spoon and let it kind of trickle in...but a lot of mine had overflow).

Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Spoon additional jam into cookies if desired. Combine confectioners' sugar, extract, and enough water to achieve drizzling consistency; drizzle over cookies.

Actually I ran out of time so never put the glaze on these cookies (perhaps because I refrigerated them for too long and used up all my would-be glazing time). But I still thought they were good. It is apparently an older-kid-grown-up cookie, because all the little kids didn't like them. One kid at home fellowship looked at me and said "these cookies are gross!" I said, "Hey! I made those cookies!" And he or she said, "well, they're gross." He or she licked it and said "yeuggggh." I said, "WELL DON'T EAT IT!!" Anyway. I thought they were great.