Pastel Sugar Cookie Sandwiches (Printer-Friendly)

Delicate sugar cookies with pastel buttercream filling, perfect for spring celebrations and afternoon tea.

# 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 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
03 - Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
05 - Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.
08 - Bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
09 - For the buttercream, beat the butter until creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth and fluffy.
10 - Divide the buttercream into small bowls and tint each with a different pastel food coloring.
11 - Spread or pipe a generous layer of buttercream onto the flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to create sandwiches.
12 - Allow cookies to set for 20 minutes before serving.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • The buttercream stays soft for days unlike some frostings that turn into concrete
  • You can customize the pastel colors for any occasion or holiday
  • The cookie texture melts in your mouth while still holding up perfectly to the filling
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is nonnegotiable because warm dough will spread into thin sad disks
  • Gel food coloring is worth the extra expense since liquid colors will ruin your buttercream consistency
  • These cookies continue to firm as they cool so pull them from the oven when edges just barely start coloring
03 -
  • Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking and keep the thickness even
  • Use an offset spatula to spread buttercream for picture perfect swirls without piping equipment

Go Back