Swimsuit season is here, short shorts are filling the stores, and blogs across the internet are posting light, summery salads day in and day out. And I’m over here grabbing butter by the pound-full to whip into Funfetti cookies. Awwwwwyesssss.
I have a love-hate relationship with summer. On the one hand, I adore the blossoming garden I get to tend to for weeks on end. Society seems to be totally okay with a happy hour of frozen margaritas that creeps earlier and earlier as the days get hotter and hotter. And pools are no longer Titanic-level frigid.
On the other hand, it’s hot. Texas hot. So hot that it’s impossible to wear layers (my favorite thing, behind golden retrievers and soccer-mom-white-wine). And those short shorts aren’t an option – they’re a necessity, but they are sized so weirdly that you can’t just grab a pair that would normally fit you in jeans. Noooooooo noooo you have to take into account your wide birthing hips and cushion-y thighs and grab a pair that is a heart-wrenching two sizes larger than usual. And the suffocating heat from your car tries to murder you every time you sit in it. And the humidity leaves your makeup running in hooker-like streaks down your face, and your hair is flat, damp, and frizzy all at once. HOW?
So I see more cons than pros to summertime – or at least the summers we’re used to here. And instead of hopping on the fresh, flavorful, and brightly-colored veggie-based bandwagon that’ll have me swimsuit-ready in no time, I decided to make something bright, colorful, and sunny in its own right. Funfetti sandwich cookies.
Is it normal to have an emotional response to a piece of food? Because I do with these. Look at the soft, pillowy buttercream, interspersed with a gentle sprinkling of multi-colored sprinkles. Sandwiched between two of the sweetest, crumbliest, butteriest sugar cookies you’ve ever eaten. Oh so simple. Oh so delicious and dreamy. I could eat these for days, which is why I ate one for testing and one for photography and then sent them next door to our new neighbors.
The sugar cookie recipe is adapted from my all-time favorite cookbook, The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather. Fighting all of my natural instincts, I rolled these into ping-pong sized balls of dough instead of heaps the size of baseballs, wanting a small, hand-held sweet treat. The result is a crumbly, sweet, buttery cookie that melts in your mouth like magic. And the buttercream? It’s simple American buttercream, whipped to peak fluffiness with a small dose of colorful sprinkles. And a healthy hit of vanilla. When you sandwich it between two of the aforementioned cookies, you’ll be saying good riddance to the ridiculously high summer expectations we set for ourselves too.
Summer hater or not, give these beauts a try, and let me know if you regret anything. (Spoiler – you won’t.)
Funfetti Cookie Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons colorful sprinkles
For the buttercream
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about a minute. With the mixer on low, add the vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla slowly and in succession after. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients in increments while the mixer mixes on low speed, until combined.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of sprinkles and mix until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, or pop in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the chilled dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls and flatten just slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake in an oven heated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 minutes, or until the center is just set and the edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter until light and fluffy on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn it to low and add the vanilla.
- With the mixer running, add the powdered sugar in ½ cup portions at a time. Keep an eye on the buttercream – you may not need all 2 1/2 cups, or you may want a bit more to reach your desired consistency.
- With the mixer running on low, add the tablespoon of sprinkles and mix until interspersed. Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a wide circle tip (or you can use a plastic bag and simply snip a corner). Evenly pipe the buttercream just inside the edge of the underside of a cookie. Gently press it together with the underside of an un-iced cookie.
