For some reason there’s a surplus of sour cream in our fridge. A few weeks ago I bought two containers intending to make something completely different–possibly a chocolate cake, although I can’t quite remember now–and then Mike brought home a third to use as a baked potato topping earlier this week. It was a happy accident to discover that this recipe called for sour cream, as clearly, I have plenty.
Scientifically speaking, sour cream alters the texture of baked goods because of its acidity, making cakes and cookies lighter and moister than those without. These cookies are soft, but also have a delightful just-shy-of-crispy edge. The original recipe called for them to be frosted with a caramel mixture, but I decided to fill them with a vanilla cream instead to balance the nearly-caramel flavor of the brown sugar. You could certainly eat them plain if you like; next time, I’ll use more filling for each cookie than I did today, so I’d actually recommend doubling the filling ingredients in the recipe below.
Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Generous 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, slightly softened
- 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sour cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well-combined.
Add sour cream and mix until well-combined.
Add flour mixture in two separate batches, scraping the sides of the bowl in between.
Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared sheets, leaving a few inches between each as the cookies will spread. Spray your palm with baking spray and gently press each scoop of dough until the top is flattened.
Bake for 12 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely before filling.
Vanilla Cream Filling
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
In a mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening until combined.
Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add vanilla extract and beat until well-combined.
To fill the cookies: flip half of the cookies over and spread filling on each; top with another cookie to create the sandwich.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 