Bull's Eye

To make the bull's eye cookies, start by preparing the shortbread dough: remove the butter from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then proceed by placing the flour and the chopped butter into a mixer 1. Blend everything very well until you get a sandy and floury consistency; then transfer it to a large bowl and add the sifted powdered sugar 2, the seeds from the vanilla bean, eight egg yolks, and a pinch of salt 3.

Begin mixing all the ingredients with your hands in the bowl 4, then continue working the dough on a work surface: you should achieve a compact and elastic dough 5. As soon as the shortbread dough is ready, form a ball, cover it tightly with plastic wrap 6, and place it in the refrigerator to rest for about half an hour.

After the indicated time, lightly dust a work surface with flour, take the shortbread dough, and roll it out with a rolling pin: you should aim for a sheet about 1/5 inch thick 7. Use a round cutter 4 inches in diameter to cut out 22 circles 8 and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With the leftover dough, roll out another sheet and cut out another 22 discs of the same diameter, which you will core in the center using a smaller cutter (1 3/4 inches in diameter) 9. Place these cookies on the baking sheet as well and bake everything in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. Once the surface is golden, take them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

Now take the whole discs and spread the jam or Nutella on top 10, making sure to add a little more in the center (about 3/4 oz per cookie). Finally, cover with the cored cookies 11 and dust with plenty of powdered sugar 12. The bull's eye cookies are ready: enjoy them with a cup of tea.