In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese.
Add sugar and vanilla and beat until light and creamy.
Drop in egg and beat until combined.
Add flour, baking soda and lemon zest. Mix until combined.
In a mini-food processor grind the almonds. Add to the dough and mix until incorporated.
Gather dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Dough can be made and chilled for several hours or chilled overnight.
Cut dough in half. On a lightly floured wooden board, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use a (heart) cookie cutter and cut out as many as you can. Place on a baking sheet. Using a decorating tip, cut out a circle in half the cutouts, making equal pairs. Gather dough scraps and repeat until dough is gone.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or until the edges start to lightly brown. Remove cookies from the oven, let stand on the cookie sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies with a flat spatula to wire racks. Cool completely.
In a small saucepan, heat the raspberry preserves for about 1-2 minutes. You just want to heat them so it is easier to spread.
With a knife, spread the preserves to the outer edge of the solid cookie (bottom). Place the other circle cutout cookie on the top. Place on wire racks. Add a little extra preserves to the circle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Serve and enjoy!
To freeze, store in an airtight container. Place wax paper between layers.