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Photos by Vicky Wasik
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Photos by Vicky Wasik
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Photos by Vicky Wasik
Honestly, it’s not even fair to call these cookies. They’re like muffin tops made from vanilla cupcakes: buttery, soft and sweet with a light and creamy frosting. Even the dough starts off more like a batter, so treat it a little more delicately than you would a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. Your reward will be something pillowy and tender, perfect for serving with tea, coffee or a tall glass of milk.
Recipe makes 28 three-inch cookies
Frosting Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
• Shy 1/3 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting Method:
Combine powdered sugar, salt, cream and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low to moisten, increase to medium, then beat until airy and smooth, about three minutes. Transfer to a zip-top bag, scraping the bowl as cleanly as you can. Wipe any excess frosting from the bowl and beater with a paper towel.
Cookie Ingredients:
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into quarter-inch pieces (firm but pliable – about 60 degrees)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
• 2 large egg whites (1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cup bleached cake flour, such as Swans Down
• Rainbow sprinkles
Cookie Method:
Adjust oven rack to middle position, heat to 350 degrees, and line two aluminum baking sheets with parchment. Combine butter, sugar, baking powder and salt in the prepared bowl. Mix on low with the paddle attachment, then increase to medium and beat until creamy, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk egg whites, cream and vanilla together in a glass measuring cup; add to butter in four or five additions and beat until smooth. Scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then resume on low. Sprinkle in cake flour, mixing to form a soft dough. Fold once or twice from the bottom up to ensure it’s well mixed, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
Pipe twelve 1 1/4-ounce portions onto each baking sheet, leaving 2 1/2 inches between them. Bake until puffed and pale gold around the edges, about 15 minutes, and cool until no trace of warmth remains, at least 20 minutes. Snip off a corner of the frosting bag; working two or three at a time, squeeze a tablespoon of frosting over each cookie and spread into an even layer with a knife. Top with sprinkles, if you like, and devour immediately. Wrapped in plastic, leftovers will keep three days at room temperature.
Tip: To mix it up with a gluten-free recipe, replace all-purpose flour with 4 1/2 ounces (1 1/4 cups) tapioca flour, 2 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) cornstarch, 2 ounces (1/2 cup) coconut flour and 1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) white rice flour. Cookies will be hyper-fragile while warm but firm when cool.