Stuffed Cookie Series: Buttered Brown Sugar Raisin Cookies

Things have been quite busy for me lately, so it's been a while since my last post. I may have mentioned my new job at a local restaurant opening near my house... well, it's open now! We just opened this past Tuesday so I've been there almost all day everyday since then. We're definitely still getting the hang of things but each day gets a little better and I'm really enjoying the job so far. The other day I got to put my baking skills to use and made a batch of stuffed sugar cookies using some of the berry compote we have for pancakes. I added a little extra flour to thicken the filling so they turned out just like mini pies. I also used the biscuit cutter (like a cookie cutter) to make them uniform and brushed the tops with an egg wash before sprinkling on some sugar to give them a little pizzazz.

Anyway, on to the next recipe... Buttered Brown Sugar Raisin cookies!

I have recently really begun to like raisins (and I've always loved sugar) so this has become one of my favorites. I started with the same sugar cookie dough I used in the Blueberry Stuffed Sugar Cookie recipe but made a different filling. To make the filling I started by melting a stick of butter in a small saucepan then I stirred in 3/4 cup of brown sugar, whisking until it melted. I also stirred in a tablespoon of white sugar and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Next I added 1 1/4 cups seedless raisins and let the mixture simmer until it was hot and bubbly.

Once the filling was ready I took it off the heat to set while I prepared the cookies. Rather than using my tart pans, this time I ended up just rolling the sugar cookie dough out and cut out circles of it. I had to use a bit of extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin but it worked pretty well. You could also just take balls of cookie dough and flatten them out by hand. Once I had a few of the cookies prepared I spooned a heaping teaspoon of my raisin mixture into the center of each cookie and topped it with another cookie. When I made those berry compote cookies at the restaurant I ended up dipping my finger in water and ran it around the edge of the bottom cookie to make the top cookie stick more. Then I pinched together the edges, making it look almost like a little pie. Once I had a sheet full of cookies prepared I baked them at 350°F for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Here's what they looked like when I scooped the filling onto the bottom cookie layer:

Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

5 c flour
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs, beaten (or 6T egg beaters)
4 T milk (I used almond milk and it was fine)
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 T granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cup seedless raisins


Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. With the mixer running, add the eggs, milk and vanilla.
4. With the beater on low, add the flour mixture in small batches. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and beat until combined.
5. Divide the dough in half, wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
6. Combine the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is melted. Stir in the cinnamon and raisins then cook over low heat until thick and bubbly. Set aside.
7. Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and knead it a little if it is too hard to work with. 
8. Roll out the cookie dough on a well-floured surface and use a cookie cutter to cut out round cookies of the desired size.
9. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of raisin filling into the center of each cookie and spread it.
10. Cut out additional circles of cookie dough large enough to cover the raisin filling on the bottom layer of cookie dough. Pinch the edges of the two cookie layers together using your fingers.
11. Bake the cookies at 350 for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. After 15 minutes you may choose to brush the tops of the cookies with an egg wash or melted butter and sprinkle some white sugar on top. Place the cookies back in the oven until done, or 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes or so then remove them and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Stuffed Cookie Series: Blueberry Sugar Cookie Tarts

If you spend as much time on Pinterest as I do (particularly in the food section) you may have seen posts about a smores-stuffed chocolate chip cookie. These things look amazing... you basically build a smore inside two layers of chocolate chip cookie dough and toss it in the oven. I haven't tried out the recipe myself yet but it got me to thinking... what kind of twist could I do to make it my own? Well, since I had my handy dandy little tart pans I decided to start there and see what happened.

Before I could begin baking, of course, I had to decide what kind of cookie dough I wanted to use. I do love chocolate chip cookie dough but it's been done, so I decided to go with another of my favorites - sugar cookie dough. Sugar cookies aren't exactly the most exciting cookie on the planet but the dough is pretty pliable (if you add enough flour) and the flavor pairs well with almost anything. I decided to start my stuffed cookie adventure by throwing together a blueberry filling using some of the blueberries I had in the freezer along with some Polaner's all-fruit blueberry spread I had in the fridge.

I ended up making the cookie dough first because you have to let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so before you use it. I used a pretty standard sugar cookie dough recipe but added a little more flower so I could shape it easily. After I finished the dough I separated it into two balls, wrapped them in plastic and put them in the fridge. While the dough was setting I got to work on my blueberry filling. I wasn't working from a recipe or anything but I knew I wanted it to turn out kind-of like pie filling. I thawed the blueberries (about a cup and a half) then mashed them a little bit in the bowl. Next, I added about 3 T of the blueberry spread, 2 T of flour to thicken it up and a teaspoon of sugar just for good measure. The results looked a little bit like pepto bismol, though a little more purple than pink, but I had faith it would bake up really nicely.

After the cookie dough had set for an hour in the fridge I took it out and kneaded it a little bit. I left the dough in the fridge for a little longer than I'd intended so I had to work with it a bit to soften it back up. I lightly sprayed my tart pans because I wasn't sure if the dough would stick or not then I began patting a layer of dough into each of the pans. I used a wad of cookie dough about the size of golfball to line the bottom of each pan then scooped a heaping teaspoon of the blueberry filling into the middle and spread it around. Next, I rolled out a cookie dough circle and placed it on top of the filling in the tart pan and pinched down the edges. I'm not sure it was necessary, but I also made a few slits in the center of the cookie with a knife before tossing the cookies in the oven.

Because there were two layers of cookie dough (and because these guys are pretty big) I ended up baking them for more than double the time recommended in the recipe for the cookie dough. I baked them for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through then, after brushing the tops with a little melted butter just for fun, I baked them for another 4 minutes. I wanted my cookies to have a nice crust and to be just a little brown around the edges but if you want yours to stay soft, try baking them for 20 to 22 minutes. You can also make these cookies without the tart pans by rolling out circles of cookie dough and filling them the same way. Just be sure to pinch the edges together securely so the blueberry filling doesn't ooze out in the oven.

After making these cookies I decided to continue the experiment to see what other stuffed cookie recipes I could come up with (hence the title "stuffed cookie series"). I've got a few more variations to write about including sugar cookies stuffed with buttered brown sugar and raisins as well as some stuffed with Ghiradelli dark chocolate raspberry squares. Check back soon for pictures and recipes!

Blueberry Sugar Cookie Tart Recipe:

Ingredients:

5 c flour
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs, beaten (or 6T egg beaters)
4 T milk (I used almond milk and it was fine)
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 1/2 cups blueberries (thaw if frozen)
3 T blueberry jam or preserves
2 T flour
1 t sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray your tart pans with cooking spray. (If not using tart pans, use an ungreased cookie sheet)
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. With the mixer running, add the eggs, milk and vanilla.
4. With the beater on low, add the flour mixture in small batches. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and beat until combined.
5. Divide the dough in half, wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
6. Place the blueberries in a small bowl and mash them slightly with a potato masher or the back side of a spoon. Stir in the blueberry jam or preserves, the flour and the sugar. Set aside
7. Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and knead it a little if it is too hard to work with. Place a golfball-sized ball of cookie dough in each tart pan and spread it evenly along the bottom of the pan, pressing it into the edges.
8. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of blueberry filling into the center of each tart and spread it.
9. Roll out circles of cookie dough large enough to cover the blueberry filling in the tart pans. Press the edges of the cookie dough circles into the bottom layer of dough and make a few slits in the center of the top cookie.
10. Bake the tarts at 350 for about 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. After 20 minutes, brush the tops with melted butter and bake for another 2 to 4 minutes until the edges are crispy and have just begun to brown.
11. Let the cookies cool in the tart pans for 15 minutes or so then remove them and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Serve with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.