25 Days of Cookies: Vanilla Custard Filled Butter Cookies

What's this? It's cookie number 22 already! No way! And it's a two-step cookie :) These vanilla custard filled cookies are from the same cookbook as those Marble Cookies I adapted: Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book.

Oh, Cookie Tree O, Cookie Tree

Having never tasted, much less made custard before, this was quite the experience. Perhaps mine caramelized a little bit more than I wanted but that doesn't take away from the flavor by any means. The recipe calls for using a real vanilla bean and I would just love to do that but they are so very expensive. Thankfully, vanilla extract isn't nearly as pricey.

First step to making these cookies: crack two eggs, discard or save the whites and whisk the yolks in a bowl and bring to room temp. After they've warmed up, bring 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to a slow simmer in a sauce pan over medium heat. (Small bubbles rising slowly to the surface). Temper your egg yolks by slowly adding about half a cup of the milk mixture to the yolks and whisking constantly. Then add the tempered yolk mixture to the pan and whisk constantly until the mixture thickly coats the whisk or spoon you're using. The recipe said to cook for 5 minutes but mine didn't need more than a minute. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a container and store in the fridge for a couple of hours to cool and thicken.

Second step: Preheat oven to 325. Mix 1 stick of unsalted room temp butter and 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar until well combined. Add one egg and two tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix, scrape the bowl, then mix again. Add 1 and a 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour slowly to the wet ingredients. Don't over mix. Just mix until all the flour is combined. Form 1 inch balls and position about an inch apart. They won't spread very much and you'll be able to fit a lot on one tray. Then press an indent into each dough ball with your thumb. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Mine needed 17.

Did you notice no rising agent was called for? Weird, right!? Anyway these butter cookies are surprisingly tasty despite the short ingredient list. I was impressed despite my doubts while making them.

After the cookies have cooled to room temp you can pipe the custard onto each cookie. You can also top them with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and so on but I chose Christmas sprinkles in keeping with the holiday theme. They added a welcome bite to the cookie! (I made a mess while attempting to sprinkle though... :D )