Cranberry Nutella Sandwich Cookies Recipes

CRANBERRY NUTELLA SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in cranberries. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap iand refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 325°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. diamond-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush with milk., Bake until edges begin to brown, 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread Nutella over bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container.

CRANBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Pulse the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup dried cranberries in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt; pulse to combine. Add the cut-up butter and shortening; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Whisk the egg, cranberry juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the food coloring in a small bowl; add to the food processor and pulse to form a dough. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 1 1/2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are just set, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, room-temperature butter and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar; beat on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, 2 more minutes. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup dried cranberries; stir into the filling along with a pinch of salt. Sandwich between the cookies.

PEANUT BUTTER NUTELLA SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tube, pipe star shaped cookies onto sheet of aluminum foil cut to fit cookie sheets; placing cookies approximately 1 ½ï¿½ apart. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, cookies should just be set and should not brown.
• When done, slide foil off cookie sheet and leave cookies on foil until cooled. When cool, spread bottom of cookie with approximately 1 teaspoon of nutella and top with a cookie that is close in size to the bottom cookie. Place cookies on a rack. Meanwhile, place chocolate and shortening in a freezer bag. Place in hot water in the top of a double boiler, leaving the top of the plastic bag open. When chocolate has melted, holding the top of the plastic bag, gently squeeze, so check that all chips have melted and to ensure the shortening is mixed inches Cut a tiny hole in one corner of the plastic bag. Place cookies close together on the cookie racks. Squeeze plastic bag gently and make a back and forth motion, creating thin chocolate drizzles on all cookies. Let cookies stand a few hours, until chocolate sets. Store in an airtight container, up to one week. Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.
• *Melted chocolate chips could also be used to fill cookies, just melt two cups of chocolate chips with one teaspoon of shortening and fill each cookie with approximately one teaspoon.