Buttercups
Best of Country Cookies
Try a FREE ISSUE of Taste of Home!
These cookies began as simple Christmas cutouts. One day I decided to make them with a brown butter filling. Sometimes I'll fill the centers with melted chocolate.
SERVINGS: 18
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min/batch + cooling
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup raspberry preserves or fruit preserves of your choice
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Divide dough in half; wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. scalloped cookie cutter. Cut a 1-in. hole in the centers of half of the cookies with a floured cutter.
Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; gradually add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough water to achieve a spreading consistency.
Spread on the bottoms of the solid cookies; top with remaining cookies. Place 1/2 teaspoon preserves in the center of each. Yield: 3 dozen.