Description
Delight in these pastel sugar cookie sandwiches featuring soft, buttery cookies coated in colorful sugar and filled with creamy frosting. Perfect for celebrations or any sweet craving, these charming sandwich cookies are easy to make with a simple dough, a touch of almond and vanilla extracts, and your choice of frosting for that perfect sweet finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup milk
Coating & Filling
- 1/2 cup colored sugar (for rolling)
- 1 batch frosting (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure cookies do not stick and bake evenly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside this mixture for incorporating later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the large egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated, occasionally scraping down the bowl’s sides to combine evenly.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients on a low mixer speed, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Mix in Milk: Add milk to the dough and mix until smooth, resulting in a soft yet non-sticky dough consistency.
- Form Dough Balls: Pour colored sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion out dough balls about 1 inch in diameter.
- Coat with Colored Sugar: Roll each dough ball in the colored sugar until fully coated for a festive pastel look.
- Arrange on Baking Sheets: Place sugar-coated dough balls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them roughly 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Flatten Dough Balls: Gently press each ball down with the bottom of a glass or your fingers to shape into discs for even baking.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until edges turn lightly golden but centers remain soft for a tender texture.
- Cool Cookies: Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before assembling.
- Assemble Sandwiches: Spread frosting onto the flat side of one cookie and gently top with another cookie to create a sandwich.
- Repeat Assembly: Continue frosting and sandwiching the remaining cookies with the frosting until all are paired.
- Serve or Store: Serve the pastel sugar cookie sandwiches immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to maintain freshness.
Notes
- You can customize the frosting flavor and color to complement the pastel sugar coating for a personalized touch.
- Ensure the butter is softened but not melted to achieve the ideal dough consistency.
- Do not overmix the dough when combining dry and wet ingredients to keep cookies tender.
- Press cookies gently before baking to help them spread evenly and bake uniformly.
- Store cookie sandwiches in an airtight container to retain softness and prevent the cookies from drying out.