Directions for: Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Cookiescup unsalted butter, at room temperature
cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
tsp baking soda
tsp baking powder
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp ground nutmeg
tsp fine sea salt
1 cup finely grated carrots
cup regular rolled oats (not instant)
cup flaked sweetened coconut
cup dried currants
Fillingcup cream cheese, at room temperature
cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
cup icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Directions
Cookies1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
2. For the cookies, beat the butter and brown sugar together by hand until well blended and almost fluffy, about a minute. Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir until evenly combined. Stir in the carrots, followed by the oats and coconut. Stir in the currants.
4. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop levelled amounts of the batter onto the baking trays, 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Its important to drop level scoops so that the cookies bake with nice domed tops.
5. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until they lift easily from the tray. Cool on the trays on wire racks.
Filling1. For the filling, beat the cream cheese and butter by hand until smooth. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat again until fluffy and well blended.
2. To assemble the sandwiches, spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a large plain piping tip and pipe a layer of filling over the flat side of a cookie (or use a spatula to spread a generous dollop of the filling instead). Press a second cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling.
Tips and Substitutions
These cookies are soft, almost like a muffin. Unfilled, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temper-ature until soft. Once assembled, they will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container to preserve the cream cheese frosting, for up to 5 days.
Source and Credits
Excerpted from Set for the Holidays with Anna Olson
Courtesy of Penguin Random House
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