Pastel Sugar Cookie Sandwiches (Printable version)

Buttery sugar cookies with colorful pastel buttercream filling, ideal for spring celebrations

# Ingredient List:

→ Sugar Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Pastel Buttercream Filling

08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 2 tablespoons milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - Gel food coloring in pastel shades (pink, yellow, green, blue)

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
02 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
03 - Add egg and vanilla extract to butter mixture, beating until fully incorporated.
04 - Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter.
08 - Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges begin to turn golden. Cool completely on wire racks.
09 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then milk and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy.
10 - Divide buttercream into small bowls and tint each with a different pastel food coloring.
11 - Spread or pipe a layer of colored buttercream onto half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The buttercream is soft enough to bite through without squeezing out the sides, which is literally my pet peeve with sandwich cookies
  • These look like you spent hours at a fancy bakery but come together in an afternoon with basic pantry ingredients
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is mandatory, not optional, I learned this the hard way when I tried to skip it and ended up with paper thin cookies that fused together
  • Let cookies cool completely before filling or the buttercream will melt and slide right off the edges
03 -
  • Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper instead of on floured counter, it keeps the cookies tender and prevents them from getting tough
  • Measure your flour correctly, too much and these turn into hockey pucks instead of delicate sandwiches

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