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1
Position racks in the lower and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350.
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2
Place the almonds and pecans on a baking sheet; toast on the upper oven rack until lightly browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes.
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3
Let cool, then pulse in a food processor with 1/4 cup granulated sugar until finely ground.
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4
(Don't overprocess or the mixture will turn into a paste.)
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5
Turn off the oven.
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6
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl.
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7
Set aside.
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8
Using a mixer, beat the butter and the remaining 11/4 cups granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
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9
Beat in the vanilla extract, egg yolks, and the lemon and orange zest; add the ground nuts.
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10
Add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated (do not overmix).
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11
Divide the dough into 2 pieces; place 1 piece between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 14-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick.
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12
Repeat with the other piece of dough.
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13
Refrigerate both rectangles, covered with the parchment sheets, until firm, at least 1 hour.
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14
Preheat the oven to 350.
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15
Cut the dough into hearts with a 21/4- to 21/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.
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16
Using a smaller heart-shaped cutter (about 11/2 inches), cut out the centers from half of the cookies (you can reroll the centers and scraps).
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17
Place the cookies, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets and bake 2 sheets at a time until the edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
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18
Cool on wire racks.
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19
Sift confectioners' sugar over the cookies.
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20
Spread 1 teaspoon raspberry preserves evenly over each whole heart cookie, leaving a slight border around the edge; top with the cut-out heart cookies.
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21
Photograph by Allan Penn
