Vanilice (Serbian Sandwich Cookies)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups vegetable shortening , such as Butter Flavor Crisco®
• 1 cup white sugar , divided, or as needed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour , plus more as needed
• 0.25 cups apricot jam , or as needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine shortening and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl; cut with a pastry knife until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Work in 2 cups flour with your hands; knead until stiff and similar in consistency to pie dough.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat® mats.

3. 3

   Dust a work surface generously with flour and set dough on top. Roll dough with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into rounds with a 1 3/4-inch cookie cutter or the rim of a glass. For every 2 cookies you cut, use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole or shape out of the second cookie; the cut-out cookies will be placed on top of the whole cookies when filled.

4. 4

   Re-roll the dough and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used up. You should have an equal number of whole and cut-out cookies. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.

5. 5

   Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; do not let the cookies brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before carefully transferring onto wire racks. The cookies will be crumbly and fragile while still hot so handle carefully. Let cool completely.

6. 6

   Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a bowl. Spread 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon apricot jam onto each whole cookie, then place a cut-out cookie on top. Dip the filled cookies in sugar until well coated on both sides.