Instructions

1. Toast 1/2 cup whole almonds in a small frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let sit until cooled completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour to the food processor. Process into a fine meal, 15 to 20 seconds. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pulse just until combined, about 10 (1-second) pulses.
3. Beat 2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula. Beat in 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
5. Scrape down the bowl again. Beat in the flour mixture on the lowest speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Give the dough a few stirs with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl, to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Divide the dough into 2 portions (about 15 ounces each).
7. Shape each portion into a rough 5x7-inch rectangle. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
8. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Sandwich the dough between 2 more sheets of parchment paper and roll out until a little less than 1/4-inch thick.
9. Use a 2-inch regular or fluted round cutter to cut out as many rounds as you can. Transfer the rounds to one of the baking sheets. (Refrigerate the dough if it becomes too soft to get a clean cut.) Roll and cut rounds out of the second piece of dough until each baking sheet has 12 rounds, spacing them evenly apart. These rounds will be the bottoms of the cookies.
10. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Gather the dough scraps, reroll between parchment, and refrigerate again until firm enough to get a clean cut.
11. Bake until the cookie bottoms are lightly golden-brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
12. Repeat cutting (and gathering scraps and rerolling) until you have 24 more cookie dough rounds. Use a 1-inch cutter to cut out a hole in the center of each of these rounds. Remove the center rounds (bake separately if desired) and transfer the rings to the cooled baking sheets (you can reuse the parchment), spacing them evenly apart. These will be the tops of the cookies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
13. Bake until the cookie tops are lightly golden-brown, 14 to 15 minutes total. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
14. Spread 1 teaspoon of the raspberry jam on each cookie bottom. Place 3 tablespoons powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer and dust generously over the cookie tops. Place a cookie top on each cookie bottom and sandwich together.