Easy Cookies (Swedish Strips got some interesting choices - non baking lol) - Budget Friendly!

First recipe for my 2023 Christmas Baking! Sweet with a shortbread cookie base, strawberry jam and chopped nuts give a Christmas Season look to these squares. A recipe with lots of variations. Makes a generous 12"x15" (30 cm x 38 cm) pan of squares, diamonds or strips (depends on how you cut them). Recipe follows: Swedish Strips Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) Bake for 15 minutes Ingredients 1 cup (227 gm) butter 1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt 2 cups (300 gm) all purpose flour (in Canada) USA and UK strong flour or bread flour 1/2 cup (125 ml) jam cherry, strawberry, raspberry - your favourite 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) icing sugar (confectioners sugar) 1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped nuts - pecans, walnuts, almonds - your favourites 1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped mixed peel - optional You can use your stand mixer, hand held electric beater or do the mixing by hand with your wooden spoon Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and salt, mix well. Add flour and combine. Place cookie batter on an ungreased 12”x15” (30 cm x 38 cm) cookie sheet. Pat with your hand into a thin layer covering all the cookie sheet (layer should be about 1/4” 1/8 cm thick). Prepare your toppings so they are ready to add as soon as the cookie comes out of the oven. Bake in a preheated oven to 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. Cookie should be golden brown and fully cooked. While the cookie is hot, spread thinly with jam, nuts and other toppings. Press nuts and other toppings gently into the hot cookie. Dust with sifted icing (confectioners) sugar. Cut immediately into 1” wide strips and make the other cut at 1” or 1.5” (.5 cm or .75 cm) or make a bar cookie at 1”x3” (.5 cm x 1 cm). Ready to serve as soon as they cool. Yummy sweet treat!