2. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cutter.
3. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Spread 1/2 t jam on half of the cookies; top with another cookie. For frosting, combine chocolate, confectioners' sugar and butter. Spread on tops of cookies. Decorate with slivered almonds. (I also added a red hot in the center and peppermint sprinkles)
* This makes a really meaty cookie with a nice mixture of flavors. I suggest making the cookies 2" or smaller and as thin as possible. Add a thin layer of jam (I used Marionberry seedless preserves) to prevent it from becoming a jumbo cookie. The frosting was a little stiff, so thin it with more butter if necessary.
Silent Night was first sung in 1818, in the village church of Oberndorf, in Austria. There is a story told of how Christmas was almost spoiled for the villagers that year.
On Christmas Eve, the priest went into the church and found that the organ was not working. The leather bellows that are used to pump the air through the pipes were full of holes. Christmas without music would not do so the priest showed the organist Franz Bauer a new Christmas hymn he had written. Franz quickly composed a tune for it that could be played on a guitar. So Oberndorf had music after all.