Leanne's Monkey Face Cookies

 Leanne's Monkey Face Cookies

from Ellen's kitchen, with thanks to Leanne and her unknown friend

Note:  I have made these not as monkey face cookies (sandwich of cookies with jam in the middle, and three holes poked in top layer to make a monkey face), but with top layer having a smaller circle cut out.  Do as you prefer.  See photo.)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

jam or marmalade

circular cookie cutters (I used 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" )

In:

• stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl:

• whisk dry ingredients, and then add to stand mixer.

Refrigerate dough:

•  for 4 hours, or until ready to bake.

Preheat:

• oven to 375.  

Roll:

• dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8 thickness.  Use round cookie cutters to cut cookies (they spread quite a bit while baking so keep in mind when cutting and putting on cookie sheet...with my cutters, I can get 12 sandwich cookies/sheet).

Line:

• cookie sheet with parchment and put twelve 2 1/2" circles of dough evenly on sheet.  Thinly spread with jam almost to edge of each cookie (if difficult to spread, microwave jam briefly) and then top with cookie that has circle cut out of middle, or that you then poke with holes for monkey face.

Bake for 6-10 minutes until light brown.  Let sit on cookie sheet for 5 more minutes before moving to cooling rack.