Pastel Sugar Cookie Sandwiches (Printable)
Delicate sugar cookies with colorful pastel buttercream filling for spring celebrations and tea time.
# What You'll Need:
→ Sugar Cookies
01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Pastel Buttercream Filling
08 - ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
09 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 1 ½ tablespoons milk
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 - Pinch of salt
13 - Pastel gel food coloring (pink, yellow, green, blue, or purple)
# How to Make It:
01 - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
02 - Beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until the mixture appears light and fluffy.
03 - Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, mixing until completely blended.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until the flour disappears. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Divide the dough into two equal portions, flatten each into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
06 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - Roll one dough disc on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
08 - Bake for 8–10 minutes until the edges barely begin to turn golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.
09 - Beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt, continuing to beat until the frosting achieves a smooth, fluffy consistency.
10 - Portion the buttercream into separate small bowls and tint each with a different pastel food coloring, mixing until the desired color is reached.
11 - Spread or pipe a generous layer of tinted buttercream onto the flat side of half the cooled cookies. Top with the remaining cookies to form sandwiches.
12 - Allow the assembled cookie sandwiches to rest for 20 minutes so the filling sets properly before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The combination of crisp buttery cookies and silky buttercream creates the most satisfying texture contrast
- These look impressive but are actually quite forgiving if your cookies are not perfectly uniform
02 -
- Chilling the dough is not optional, warm dough will spread too much and you will lose the clean edges
- Gel food coloring is worth the extra trip to the store, liquid colors will make your buttercream too thin
03 -
- Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper instead of on a floured surface for tender cookies that do not taste floury
- Use an offset spatula to get that perfect swirl of buttercream without squishing the delicate cookies