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Vanessa in Salzburg

Pretty in Pink Cookies

This is a personal, lovingly developed recipe that's been a longtime favourite with kids. Made with marzipan and warm cardamom.. a soft buttery base creates a balance with a thick, pink cream cheese icing that's as playful as it is delicious--soft, spiced, and irresistibly sweet.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for the Cookies
  • 360 grams flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tbsp cardamom
  • 227 grams unsalted butter
  • 150 grams sugar
  • 85 grams marzipan/ or almond paste chopped fine or can be grated it cold
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ΒΌ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom
  • 3 tablespoons cream
Ingredients for the Frosting
  • 40 grams butter softened to room temperature
  • 80 grams cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 300 grams Powdered Sugar
  • 2-3 drops pink/red food colouring adjust for colour preference

Method
 

Directions For Cookie Base
  1. Combine flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside
  2. In a stand mixer fit with paddle attachment: cream the butter, sugar, almond paste, then add eggs and vanilla and almond extract and mix until smooth
  3. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed, add the cream last mixing again on low setting for just a few seconds until cream is absorbed
  4. Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and either freeze for one hour, or refrigerate overnight . Flour a board or counter top and roll out dough approximately 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter cut out 3 1/2 inch circles-- Or to simplify, break off in balls which weigh approximately 50 grams each and flatten on baking sheet to approximately 1 inch thickness. Bake on parchment or lightly greased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.
  5. Let cool completely then refrigerate at least an hour prior to frosting so the cookies firm up.
Directions for Pink Frosting
  1. Combine all ingredients except for the powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use an electric hand mixer). Mix on medium high speed for a minute until light and fluffy, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Adjust amount of powdered sugar to personal taste and desired thickness. Finally add you colouring, for pink--a couple of drops of red food colouring works to pink it up!
  2. Refrigerate the frosting to allow it to firm up and cool down.
Frosting the Cookies
  1. After the cookies and frosting are cool, add a generous amount of frosting to the middle of the cookie, spreading down to the sides with a butter knife to create a smooth edge. Eat immediately or can be refrigerated and enjoyed for up to 5 days.