These delightful vanilla pineapple sandwich cookies are one of a kind. Made from soft vanilla cutout cookies and sandwiched with pineapple buttercream, they are not only refreshing, but totally and completely SUMMER.
Sandwich cookies are truly the best. TWO cookies for the price of one, and a secret stash of frosting in between. I mean, could it get any better? I submit that it can, when we are talking about vanilla pineapple sandwich cookies. A soft, NO CHILL vanilla cutout cookie is filled with decadent pineapple buttercream, and sandwiched with another cookie. It’s truly a treat, and one that beckons summer to come and stay awhile.
What you will need to make these vanilla pineapple sandwich cookies:
Salted butter
Granulated sugar
Pure vanilla extract
Large eggs
Baking powder
All purpose flour
Powdered sugar
Pineapple flavor, or pineapple juice
Heavy cream
The Cutout Cookie
These are the same cutout cookies that I released this past winter for my sugar cookie house, with a slight alteration in the sugars. I used all granulated in place of half granulated / half brown. There is a small flavor difference, but overall the cookie is largely the same. Soft and full of flavor, these cutout cookies require no chill time and do not spread in the oven! Simple mix up the dough, roll it out, and cut your desired shapes. You can use this adorable pineapple cookie cutter, or make your own pineapple design with a pineapple shell cookie cutter and some well placed lines with a small pizza cutter or butter knife!
The Pineapple Buttercream
This Buttercream is made of four simple ingredients and is truly delightful with the vanilla cookies. I used a pineapple flavoring (this one by LorAnn Oils is wonderful), but you can use fresh squeezed pineapple juice as well. Simple substitute three tablespoons of pineapple juice in place of the flavoring and the heavy cream. The result either way is a pineapple frosting that will go great on cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and scones.
The Process
This dough was colored with an all natural food color by Watkins. I divided the dough into 3 parts; 2 being yellow and 1 being green. I used one drop of the yellow to color the “pineapple” parts, and two drops of the green to get a slightly deeper green for the “pineapple tops.” I rolled each out onto a floured surface, and using a pizza cutter, evened out one side of each before placing the edges together. I gently rolled them a bit to ensure they were connected, and then cut the pineapple shapes out. I repeated this process after separating the dough and rolling each out again, ensuring that I broke off and discarded any pieces of yellow and green that wouldn’t separate.
Make sure that your cookies are completely cooled before you frost them. This will ensure that your buttercream does not melt. I always put my cutout cookies in the freezer after they come out of the oven. This helps them retain all of their softness and ensures that they hold the buttercream firmly.
The Substitutes
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either use and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy:
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.
Miyokos Butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great plant based option for the buttercream.
I hope you love these cookies, they were an instant crowd pleaser in our house and I plan to make them many more times this summer.
If you make them and love them, please considering leaving a review! It helps others find my recipes and instills confidence in their enjoyability!
XO,
Heather
PS- this chocolate version of my cutout cookies is so decadent it you love chocolate!
Vanilla Pineapple Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 stick, ½ cup, salted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pineapple flavoring
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, sugar, egg and yolk, plus extract until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add flour and baking powder and mix well. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Do not chill dough ~ roll out in one big or several smaller batches, to about ½ inch thick. Cutout cookies in whatever shapes you desire, and bake for 6-8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. You can place them in the freezer to speed this process up.
- In a small bowl combine all ingredients and combine with a hand mixer or standing mixer for about 30-45 seconds. Frosting should be smooth and lump free. Spread or pipe frosting onto cookies. Sandwich with a second cookie.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Enjoy!
Sara
This is soooo pretty 😍 I'll definitely try to make it 🥰
Heather Templeton
Thank you Sara! 🙂 Have a great day!