Pink Heart Sandwich Cookies

This cookie recipe comes courtesy of Martha Stewart, from the February Issue of Martha Stewart Living. The pink hearts are made from a sugar-cookie dough.  The creamy filling much like that of an Oreo cookie but with a crunch due to the granulated sugar.

Photo Credit: Patricia Hinkel

Photo Credit: Patricia Hinkel

You will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Red or pink gel-paste food coloring

Cream Filling ( recipe below)

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce to low and gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.
2. Divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces depending on how many shades of pink you would like the cookies to be. Working with one piece at a time, add food coloring, one drop at a time, mixing and kneading to combine, until desired shade is reached; the more food color the darker the color will be. Flatten each section into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or overnight. Bring to room temperature about 10 minutes, before rolling.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.with racks in top and lower thirds. Roll out each disk between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper to just under 1/4-inch thick, adding more flour if needed to prevent sticking. Cut out 1-, 1 1/2, or 2-inch heart shapes, making sure you have equal amounts of each size and color. Re-roll scraps. Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets 1 inch apart. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile preheat oven.
4. Bake until barely golden brown around the edges, about 8 minutes for 1-inch cookies, 10 minutes for 1 1/2-inch cookies and 12 minutes for 2-inch cookies, rotating halfway through. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before removing them to a rack or plate. Spread or pipe  ( using a pastry bag and a plain tip) filling onto the bottom half of each cookie and sandwich them together with the tops pressing gently. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Cream Filling

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk, if needed.

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the sugars, beating and mixing thoroughly until combined. Beat in vanilla. If filling is too thick to spread add milk one table spoon at a time.