cookies for cookies' sake

A few weeks ago, my friend Caitlin brought some cookies she'd made to work. They were fantastic, and she was nice enough to give me the recipe. They're called Caramel Creme Sandwich Cookies, and though the process of making sandwich cookies sounds rather lengthy, I thought I'd give them a shot. (They turned out to be quite time-consuming...maybe a once-a-year project at most!)

I am a complete novice at making cut-out cookies,
so while Ian wasn't taking pictures, he was walking me through the steps.

I only had to re-roll three times
before it didn't wrap itself around my rolling pin.

Besides the fact that they're completely delicious,
I had four other reasons to bake these cookies:
a squirrel, an acorn, and a couple of leaves
(we bought about 84 seasonal cookie cutters last weekend).

My dough bore an uncanny resemblance to Great Britain. How appropriate (or ironic, take your pick), given my smashing apron. In case you were wondering, this is the Royal Stewart tartan...proudly worn by my great and formidable clan on my granddad's side.

Need cookie-cutting lessons? I am now an expert.

When recipes command me to "allow to cool before frosting," I automatically get antsy. Here, it was a breeze because they're so thin.

Ian got the job with the most glamour:
rolling the edges in sugar after I'd slathered on some icing.

The cookies turned out just as tasty as Caitlin's, although I think hers looked somewhat better (hers were just round, so they looked more uniform). I wouldn't recommend using any oddly shaped cookie cutters -- the rounder the better. The acorn-shaped cookies were definitely the easiest to assemble.

caramel creme sandwich cookies
makes a few dozen depending on your cookie cutter and how much dough you eat

ingredients
(for the cookies)
3/4 cup brown sugar (pack it in!)
1 cup butter
1 egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
(for the icing)
2 Tbl. butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 to 5 tsp. milk
Colored sugar for decorating

directions
(for the cookies)
1) Heat oven to 325 F.
2) Beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy; add egg yolk. When it's well mixed, add the flour. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
3) Roll out the dough on a floured surface and and cut it into uniform shapes.
4) Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 10 to 14 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
(for the icing)
1) While the cookies are cooling, brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often. Look for little brown specks in the melted butter. Remove from heat.
2) Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in milk one teaspoon at a time until mixture has reached your desired consistency.
3) When the cookies have cooled, assemble the sandwiches.