Heart Shaped Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

Soft Sugar Cookie

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Coloured Sugar

• 1/4 cup (51 g) coarse sugar
• 1 drop red food colouring

Raspberry Buttercream Filling

• 1/4 cup (57 g)+ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2-1 Tablespoon whipping cream (or whole milk)
• handful of fresh raspberries, approx. 6-8 berries

Directions:

1. Make your cookie dough. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with the paddle attachment for approx. 1 minute. Slowly add the sugar with the mixer running on medium-low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Continue to beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat until thick, pale in colour and fluffy.
2. In a separate large bowl add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine ingredients.
3. Spoon the flour mixture into the butter mixture beating on medium-low speed. Beat until the mixture forms into a ball.
4. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap (or wax paper) and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Prepare your coloured sugar. In a small bowl add sugar and food colouring. Mix until the sugar turns pink. Set aside.
7. Make your icing. Beat butter for approx. 1 minute, add icing sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of whipping cream and fresh raspberries. Beat until the raspberries have broken and the mixture is fluffy and light, approx. 2 minutes. Add more whipping cream to thin the icing out or more icing sugar to thicken the icing. You can always add more raspberries for more flavour and colour, just be careful on the consistency of the icing. You want it thick enough to hold between the cookies but smooth enough to pipe. Cover icing and set aside.
8. Once the cookie dough has firmed up, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface approx. 1/4 inch thick. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter (approx. 1 1/2-2 inches in size) cut out hearts and place them on your prepared cookie sheet. Leave approx. 2 inches between each cookie. Continue until all the cookie dough is used.
9. Sprinkle the tops of half of the cookies with the coloured sugar. Use a small spoon and generously spoon the sugar on top. Use the back of the spoon to gently press the sugar into the cookies (very gently, you don't need to push the sugar into the cookies too hard).
10. Bake cookies in the middle of the oven for 7-9 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden (if anything you want them slightly underbaked, they will firm up as they cool). Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack to cool completely (be careful not to overbake the cookies, if the bottoms get too dark, remove the cookies from the pan immediately).
11. Once cookies have cooled pipe icing onto the back side of an empty heart then sandwich a pink sugared heart on top. Repeat until all the cookies are filled and sandwiched together. Let cookies set for 30-40 minutes before enjoying.

NOTES

It's best to slightly underbake the sugar cookies. You want the cookies nice and soft when making sandwich cookies. The cookies will firm up as they cool.

Store sandwich cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Best served within 1-2 days.

Prep Time: 44 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 54 minutes
Yield: 32 Sandwich Cookies

Thank you Alie Romano for the recipe. Discover expert tips and techniques for Heart Shaped Sandwich Cookies at Baking For Friends.