Snowflake Sandwich Cookies with Eggnog Spice Filling
Serves: approximately 18
Cookie Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup blanched almond flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons whole milk
Eggnog Spice Filling (recipe follows)
½ cup white melting wafers*
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
Garnish: gold sugar pearls
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, brown sugar, almond flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add milk, stirring just until moist crumbs form when pinched together with fingers.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the mixture until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Working with half of the dough at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ⅛ -inch thickness. (If dough cracks when rolled, knead together a few times.)
Using a floured 3½-inch snowflake-shaped cutter, cut as many cookies as possible from the dough, rerolling scraps as necessary. (For easier handling, wrap and refrigerate scraps before rerolling, approximately 20 minutes.) Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until edges of cookies are golden brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks. Let cool completely.
Heat melting wafers according to the package directions. Add shortening, stirring until incorporated. Transfer wafer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a very small round tip (Wilton #3). Pipe the desired snowflake design onto half of the cookies. Garnish with gold sugar pearls, if desired. Let it stand until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Place Eggnog Spice Filling in a piping bag fitted with a small star tip (Wilton #18). Pipe filling onto the bottoms of plain cookies, outlining the snowflake shape first, and then filling in. Top each with a decorated cookie. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Notes:
Notes:
MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Cookies can be baked up to 3 weeks ahead, placed in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper, and frozen. Let thaw and come to room temperature before decorating and filling.
Eggnog Spice Filling
Serves: approximately 1 1⁄4 cups
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ teaspoon rum extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat together butter, rum extract, nutmeg, and salt with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Use immediately.
Recipe courtesy of Tea Time Magazine.com
