Sift the flour,
baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.Beat the butter
and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at
high speed until creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla,
beating until just blended. Turn the dough out onto
a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Press the dough into a disk, wrap in
plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven
to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Butter two cookie sheets.
Roll out the
dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (5 mm). Use a
1 1/2-inch (4-cm) cookie cutter to cut out the
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 a cookie sheet, placing them
1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
Bake for
8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the sheets
until the cookies firm slightly. Transfer to racks
to finish cooling.
Warm the
raspberry preserves in a small saucepan over low
heat until liquid. Stick the
cookies together in pairs with the preserves.
Mix
the confectioners' sugar with enough water to make a spread able frosting. Spread the
tops of the cookies with the frosting and decorate
with a half cherry.