Raspberry Almond Stars

Whisk together the flour, almonds and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, lemon rind in the bowl of a mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time until well blended, taking care not to overmix. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead a few times until the dough comes together. Divide into 2 pieces and form into discs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour or until the dough is firm and easy to roll.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the first disc to about a ⅛-inch in thickness. Cut the dough with a 3-inch star cookie cutter and transfer the stars to a prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the other disc. When all the cookies have been rolled, use either a ½-inch star or circular cookie cutter and cut a hole into the center of half of the cookies.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking. Remove the trays from the oven and allow them to cool slightly for a few minutes before gently transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Put the raspberry jam in a bowl and whisk until the jam is smooth. Spread about ½ teaspoon raspberry jam on each bottom and place a “top” star with the center cut out on the top. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.