Root Beer Sandwich Cookies

So many cookies have the flavors of fall, and sometimes it can be hard to find cookies that are good for summer. I came across a post about different summer-themed cookies. Most of them were just decorated roll out sugar cookies. The last thing I want to do in a warm kitchen is roll out temperature-sensitive sugar cookie dough! I did come across these root beer-flavored cookies, which to me seem summery.

These cookies so call for one unusual ingredient: root beet concentrate. Root beer concentrate can be found in many grocery stores, but perhaps not every store. I had some on hand that I had bought some time ago to use in a root beer Bundt cake, a cake that I had never ended up making. The concentrate is a lot like extract, just thicker and more powerful. Since it is so powerful, make sure that you measure it carefully. You don’t want to use too much.

Don’t make these cookies too big, as you sandwich the cookies together. This recipe made about 24 sandwiches, which isn’t a huge amount. The original recipe called for a teaspoon of concentrate in the filling, but I added a little less, as I didn’t want it to be too strong. My husband ate one of the sandwiches right after I made them, and he said that he was curious how the flavor would mellow. The first day they were a little medicinal. I had one the next day and they had matured and didn’t taste medicinal. These do taste exactly like root beer, which is a flavor you don’t often come across in baked goods.

Root Beer Sandwich Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon root beer concentrate

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

   

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1-1/3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon water

3/4 teaspoon root beer concentrate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. 

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and root beer concentrate and stir to combine. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and stir on low until the dough comes together. 

Shape the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until set. Cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, water and root beer concentrate with a spatula until smooth. 

Spread about ½ to 1 teaspoon filling on half of the cookies. Sandwich with the remaining cookies.

Recipe from Taste of Home