RASPBERRY DROP SANDWICH COOKIES

Preheat oven to 375 degrees K, rack in the middle position.

1 and l/2 cups white (granulated) sugar
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, l/2 pound) salted butter, softened 
3 large eggs 
l/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and l/2 cups raspberry pie filling (I used Comstock) 
3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
 
3/4 cup raspberry cream frosting (frosting recipe follows the cookie recipe)

Hannah's 1st Note: Make the frosting first.
Hannah's 2nd Note: Unless you have a very strong stirring arm, 
use an electric mixer to make this cookie dough.

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Place the butter, which must be softened to room temperature, on top of the sugar. 
(We're not talking about room temperature in a farm kitchen during a snowstorm—
the butter must be easily spreadable.)

Turn the mixer to LOW and mix for one minute. 
Gradually increase the speed of the mixer, scraping down the
sides of the bowl frequently and beating for one minute at each level, 
until you arrive at the highest speed.

Beat at the highest speed for at least 2 minutes or until the resulting mixture 
is very light and fluffy.

Turn the mixer down to LOW and add the eggs, one at time, mixing after each addition. 
Then add the salt. When that's mixed in, add the baking soda and mix until it's 
incorporated.

Measure out a cup and a half of raspberry pie filling. 
Turn the mixer on LOW speed and add the pie filling to your bowl. 
Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer running on LOW, add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after 
each addition. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
Give the mixture a final stir by hand. (The resulting cookie dough should be fluffy, 
but not at all stiff like sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie dough.)

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. It's the easiest way to bake these 
cookies. If you don't have parchment paper and you really don't want to go out
to get any, grease your cookie sheets heavily, or spray them thoroughly with Pam 
or another nonstick cooking spray.

Using a teaspoon (not the measuring kind, but one from your silverware drawer), 
drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough on your baking sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.

Bake your Raspberry Drop Cookies at 375 degrees F. for 12 minutes. 
Take the cookies out of the oven and slide the cookie-laden parchment paper 
onto a wire rack to cool. (If you used greased cookie sheets, you're going to 
have to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove 
them to a wire rack with a metal spatula.)

Cool the cookies thoroughly. Frost the bottom of one cookie with Raspberry 
Cream Frosting and then sandwich the bottom of another cookie on top of it. 
This will make a little cookie sandwich that is rounded on both the top and 
the bottom.

Yield: approximately 2 to 2 and 1/2 dozen delicious cookie sandwiches, 
depending on cookie size.

Raspberry Cream Frosting:
3 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
An additional cup of powdered sugar, if needed.

Measure 3 cups powdered sugar and place them in a small bowl. 
Do not pack the sugar down in the cup when you measure it, 
but do level the top off with a table knife.
Whisk the heavy cream into the powdered sugar.

Heat the 3 Tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam in a small microwave-safe bowl 
for 15 to 20 seconds or until it melts a bit.
Mix the warm raspberry jam into the cream and powdered sugar mixture.

If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream. If the frosting is too 
thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to wait for the cookies to be baked.

Hannah's 3rd Note: If there's any frosting left over, frost some graham crackers 
as a special treat for the kids when they come home from school. 
You can also frost soda crackers, salt side down, or gingersnaps.

Yield: Approximately 3 cups of frosting.