This is, by far, my favorite cookie from Martha Stewart's Cookies book. I love this vanilla-bean cookie. To be honest with you, I wouldn't even bother with making the buttercream filling. This cookie is spectacular enough to stand on its own. However, I feel like sandwich cookies are for special occasions and sometimes you need to have such a cookie.

The original version of this cookie calls for the filling to consist of pureed raspberries, sugar, heavy cream and white chocolate. For the life of me I could NOT get the white chocolate and heavy cream to mix together. I tried three times! The melted white chocolate would seize up when I added the heavy cream, which I figured it would. So, I just decided to stick with a tried and true buttercream. I made an easy raspberry buttercream before so I knew that it would work out perfectly. If you've made the original version of this cookie, please let me know. I'd love to hear if it worked for you.

Raspberry Buttercream Sandwich Cookies
cookie recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies, buttercream recipe from Annie's Eats

Cookies:
1 3/4 C. all - purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. unsalted butter, softened (1 1/4 sticks)
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 egg, large
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

Put flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk together until combined. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together and then mix for about 2 minutes on medium high. Add the egg, vanilla extract and the vanilla seeds. Mix until smooth and then reduce speed to low; gradually mix in the flour mixture.

Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets and bake 8-10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on wire racks.

For the buttercream filling:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
5-6 C. powdered sugar
1/2 C. seedless raspberry jam

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and jam together on medium-high speed until combined, around 2 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Once blended, spread about 1 T. of buttercream onto the bottom of one cookie and then sandwich with another. The cookies can be refrigerated between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temp. up to 2 days. You will probably have leftover buttercream. Enjoy at your leisure!