Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

4.93 from 13 ratings

Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

These sugar cookie sandwiches are the perfect treat! They bake up with crisp edges and soft, chewy centers and are filled with homemade cream cheese buttercream.

Prep Time30

Cook Time11

Total Time41

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 15 sandwich cookies

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 250g
1 Tbsp fresh orange or lemon zest - optional 7g*
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk 76g
Gel food coloring - optional
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 5g
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - fluffed then spooned and leveled 325g
2 tsp baking powder 8g
1 tsp fine salt 6g

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature 113g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 15g
1 Tbsp fresh orange or lemon zest - optional 7g*
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
3 cups powdered sugar 375g
2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk, room temperature 30g

Sugar Coating

1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest - optional 7g*

Recommended Tools

Instructions

Citrus Sugar Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
Add 1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon or orange zest into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use your fingertips to massage the zest into the sugar to help release the oil in the zest. You should be able to smell the oils being incorporated into the sugar.
Add 1 cup butter into the bowl with the lemon sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
Then mix in 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a small drop of gel food coloring (optional) on a medium speed until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Add 2 1/2 cups or 325g of flour (use a scale or fluff the flour in the bag, then spoon it into the measuring cup and level it), 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp fine salt and mix on low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon or orange zest (optional) into a shallow bowl and again use your fingertips to massage the zest into the sugar.
Use a 1 1/2-Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough into balls (you should end up with about 30 cookies), then roll them in sugar until they're evenly coated. Place the cookies about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are still a bit soft. Cool for 15 minutes on the pan, then move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

While the cookies bake and cool, make the cream cheese buttercream frosting. Beat 1/2 cup of room temperature butter and 1/2 cup room temperature cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth.
Mix in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1 Tbsp fresh orange or lemon zest - optional*, and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed
Slowly add in 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Halfway through add in 2 Tbsp of heavy cream or milk to make it easier to mix.
Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time).
Scoop the buttercream into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip, or snip a 1 cm opening at the base of the bag. Set aside.

Assembling the Sugar Sandwich Cookies

Pair up the cookies - they should all be relatively similar in size, but often, some are slightly bigger than others.
Then pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on the bottom of one of the cookies before topping it with another. Repeat with the remaining cookies, and enjoy!

Notes

Substitutions and Swaps

Please refer to the substitutions and swaps section in the post above for all the ingredient variations that can be used in this recipe.

*If you don't want to incorporate citrus into the cookie dough or buttercream, I recommend either omitting it completely or adding 1 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the cookie dough and 2 tsp into the buttercream to make almond sugar cookies.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make about 30 cookies using a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop, which makes 15 cookie sandwiches. The yield and bake time can vary based on the size of the cookie scoop you use.

If you want to make larger cookies, use a 3 Tbsp cookie scoop and bake at 350 F / 175 C for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still a bit soft. You'll end up with about 8 cookie sandwiches.

This recipe can also be halved to make fewer cookies (just use one large egg) or doubled.

Making These Sugar Cookie Sandwiches in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few hours, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Scooped cookie dough balls can also be frozen for up to 1 month if stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to bake the cookies.

Tips for Making the Best Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

Really cream together the butter and granulated sugar at the start of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes tender and soft cookies.
Don’t overwork the cookie dough once you add in the flour! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough, dense cookies.
Don’t overbake the cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies, and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.

Nutrition