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Cinnamon Spritz Sandwich Cookies
For the Cinnamon Spritz Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 large egg
For the Soft Meringue Filling
1 large egg white
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Assembly
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Make the Cinnamon Spritz Cookies
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the egg, and mix again until combined. Add half of
the flour mixture and beat at low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat again at very low speed just until incorporated.
Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1⁄2-inch star tip and pipe the dough into 1 3⁄4-inch rosettes (about 2 inches apart) directly onto the prepared baking sheets. Chill the cookies on the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. While the
cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the sheets from the refrigerator and bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes for cakey cookies or 16 minutes (or until the edges are golden brown) for crispy cookies, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Set the baking sheets on a wire
rack for 5 minutes to cool. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
Make the Soft Meringue Filling
Place the egg white, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of water in the bowl of a standing mixer. Whisk to combine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water—the bowl should not touch the water. Continue whisking until the sugar is
completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium-high speed until glossy and voluminous, and slightly stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Assemble the cookies
Immediately scrape the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄4-inch star or plain tip. Turn half of the cooled cookies flat side up. Pipe meringue onto the flat side of an upturned cookie, place another cookie flat side down on top of the filling, and press
slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
The cookies can be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.