Vanilla Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cane sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and there are no chunks of butter.
3. Add the eggs, and mix just slightly.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low until a smooth dough forms.
6. Using your hands, form the dough into 36 balls, and place them on the prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart (18 should fit on each cookie sheet). Flatten them until they are very thing, 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Once flattened, they can be fairly close together as they won’t spread very much while baking.
7. Bake for 7 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Sprinkle the tops with cane sugar immediately after they come out of the oven. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.

Strawberry Vanilla Bean Filling

1. In a food processor or some kind of blender, process your freeze-dried strawberries until they’re a crumbly powder. This should give you around a 1/2 cup. Sift into a small bowl, crushing any larger chunks with your fingers through the sifter as you go. Set aside.
   1. This strawberry flavor is my addition to Mimi’s recipe! You could easily skip this step and enjoy her original recipe- some delicious vanilla bean cookie pies.
2. To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, vanilla bean, and milk.
3. Mix on low until combined, increase the speed to high, and mix for 1 minute more, or until light and fluffy.
4. Transfer the filling to a piping bag with no tip.

Assembling the Cookie Pies

1. Pair the cookies together by size, and turn over every other cookie.
2. Pipe filling onto each turned-over cookie, and sandwich the pairs together.
3. Store in an airtight-container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.