Cinnamon Streusel Cookies

Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the ricotta and vanilla sugar to form a stiff dough. Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

For cinnamon-almond streusel: Mix the flour, almonds, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the crumble resembles coarse crumbs. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of I/4 inch.

Use a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out cookies .. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, placing them 1 inch apart.

Warm the preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until liquid. Spread the preserves over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle with the streusel. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the edges are beginning to brown, rotating the sheets halfway through for even baking. Transfer to racks to cool. Dust with the confectioners' sugar just before serving.