Raspberry & Chocolate Filled Almond Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups Land O Lakes Butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, ground
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons shortening
• 2/3 cup seedless raspberry or apricot spreadable fruit preserves
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1. Heat oven to 325F.
2. Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl.
3. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
4. Add flour, ground almonds and cinnamon; beat at low speed until well mixed.
5. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8-inch thickness.
6. Cut with 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter.
7. Cut three small (about 3/8-inch) circles in half the cookies with plastic straw.
8. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
10. Cool completely.
11. Sift powdered sugar over tops of cooled cookies with holes.
12. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes or until smooth.
13. Spread chocolate mixture on bottoms of solid cooled cookies.
14. Let stand 10 minutes or until set.
15. Combine spreadable fruit and lemon zest in bowl.
16. Spread slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon fruit mixture on top of chocolate.
17. Top with powdered sugar-sprinkled cookie, sugar-side up.

butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, slivered almonds, ground cinnamon, powdered sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, shortening, seedless raspberry, freshly grated lemon zest

Taken from www.landolakes.com/recipe/672/raspberry-chocolate-filled-almond-cookies (may not work)