Strawberry Shortcake Bites

My ideal Mother’s Day brunch would include these tasty little morsels. This recipe is low on sugar but big on flavor. My daughter came up with the idea to change these from Cream Wafers to Strawberry Shortcake Bites when she tasted the cookies without the filling and commented that they tasted like tiny biscuits. I was a little apprehensive about this recipe when I tasted the cookies without the filling and they reminded me of pie crust. I soldiered on and after the addition of the creamy butter filling I was officially addicted. Even my husband loved these cookies and he is totally not a cookie person.

(adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• granulated sugar (for coating the cookies)

Creamy Butter Filling

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1-2 tsp strawberry juice (or vanilla)

Make the cookies: Mix together butter, whipping cream and flour thoroughly. Shape dough into a flattened disk and wrap in plastic. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll dough 1/8″ thick on lightly floured counter. Cut into 1-1/2″ rounds. Transfer to plate heavily sprinkled with granulated sugar, turning to coat both sides. Place on ungreased baking sheet and prick in 4 places with a fork. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. The cookies will be puffed up. Cool completely on wire racks.

Prepare filling by mixing together butter, confectioners’ sugar, and strawberry juice. (I made the strawberry juice by thawing a 1/4 cup of frozen strawberries and draining off the liquid from the strawberries.) Add more confectioners’ sugar if the filling is not easily spreadable.

Put 2 cooled cookies together with a dollop of creamy butter filling. Chill briefly to set the filling. Store at room temperature in sealed container up to 3 days.

Here is what else I would serve at my ideal Mother’s Day brunch:

• Herb & Onion Scone sandwiches
• Melon Salad
• Pink Lemonade

cookies

baking, food, recipes

April 23, 2013

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