Sugar Cookie Sandwiches Food

SUGAR HEART SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Prepare dough as directed and chill for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with confectioner's sugar and roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Move dough frequently to prevent it from sticking and add more confectioner's sugar to the work surface and rolling pin as needed. With a 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, cut 72 dough rounds, re-rolling dough as needed. With a small heart-shaped cookie cutter (about 1 1/2-by-1-inch), cut hearts from the center of half the dough rounds. Place the rounds and cutouts about 1 inch apart on parchment -lined baking sheets. Bake until just set but not brown, about 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the pan slightly before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar, and pomegranate juice until smooth and fluffy. Spread about 1 teaspoon filling on each round cookie and top with a cut-out cookie. Place a red candy heart in the center of each. Leftover filling can be used to sandwich the small hearts together.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

HOT CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Process the sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking powder, and pulse just to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until it is all incorporated into the flour and the mixture has a sandy texture. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until the mixture comes together in big clumps.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, and knead a few times to form a ball. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a log about 8 by 1 1/2 inches. Roll each log up in a piece of parchment, and tightly twist the ends. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours up to 1 month.
• Position oven racks in the top and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut 1 log into 1/4-inch-thick slices (you should get about 24). Arrange 12 slices on each prepared baking sheet, and bake until the cookies lose their sheen and stay together when lifted with a metal spatula, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining log of dough.
• Arrange 24 of the cookies, bottom-side up, on a baking sheet. Put a marshmallow half in the center of each. Bake until the marshmallows puff up and are hot. Gently press 1 of the remaining 24 cookies on top of each marshmallow to form sandwiches. Let the marshmallow centers cool while the cookies are on the baking sheet.
• Microwave the chocolate and honey in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until completely smooth. Use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread some of the icing on top of each sandwich. Store for up to 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

SUGAR COOKIE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Lay 12 cookies flat-side up on a work surface. Open the whipped cream cheese frosting and stir briefly. Place a dollop of frosting in the center of each cookie and sandwich with a second cookie. Squeeze the cookie sandwiches together until the frosting spreads to the edges, then immediately roll the edges in colorful sanding sugar. If you like, package 1 or 2 cookie sandwiches in cellophane bags and tie with ribbon.