Sweetheart Sandwiches
Submitted by deauna
Homemade chocolate sandwich cookies with creamy vanilla buttercream filling. Better than Oreos with the option to tint half the filling pink or green with peppermint for Valentine’s Day.
YIELD
36 cookiesPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
3 hrsSweetheart Sandwiches are the homemade answer to Oreos, with way more personality. Soft, slightly crackly chocolate cookies sandwich a creamy vanilla buttercream that’s stiff enough to hold the shape but tender enough to bite through without crumbling. The cocoa-rich cookies have a brownie-like depth that store-bought versions simply can’t deliver.
The filling is essentially a stable buttercream. Confectioners’ sugar and butter beaten with a splash of heavy cream produces a frosting consistency that’s spreadable but firm. The Valentine’s Day variation tints half pink or green with a hint of peppermint extract for a thoughtful gift-tin upgrade.
The 2 to 3 hour chill on the dough matters. Cold dough rolls into clean balls that bake into uniform round cookies, and skipping the chill produces sticky, sprawling cookies that won’t sandwich properly. Use level teaspoons of dough for the right size. Pair with cold milk or hot coffee for a homemade cookie that beats anything in the supermarket aisle.
Pro Tips
- Chill the dough fully 2 to 3 hours as written. Warm dough sticks to your hands and spreads too much during baking.
- Roll dough balls uniform in size (level teaspoons). Mismatched sizes mean wonky sandwiches.
- Cool cookies completely before filling. Warm cookies melt the buttercream into a runny mess.
- For Valentine’s gift tins, tint half the filling pink with food coloring and add ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract.
Variations
- Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the cookie dough for a mocha flavor profile.
- Roll the filled cookie edges in sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or mini chocolate chips for decorative finishes.
- Fill with cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream for a slight tang against the chocolate cookies.
Ingredients
Directions
To make the cookies, cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl until light.
Beat in eggs and vanilla; set aside.
Sift the dry ingredients together; stir thoroughly into the butter mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two or three hours.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). and grease two cookie sheets.
Roll level teaspoons of the dough into balls and place 2” apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and the surfaces slightly dry and cracked.
Cool on wire racks.
To make the filling, cream the butter until light.
Beat in the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar, adding the cream and continuing to beat until the consistency of a creamy frosting.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread about ½ tablespoon of filling on the bottom of each cookie, then top with the bottom side of another cookie.
Variation: To make half the cookies peppermint-filled, add ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract to half the filling.
Tint pink or green before filling the sandwiches.
Comments
