Strawberry Almond Creme Cookies
Yields 18 Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 15.25 oz (432 g) box Pillsbury White Cake Mix
- 2 Tbsp (118 ml) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (118 ml) canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tbsp pureed whole strawberries, (no sugar added)
- 8 + drops red food coloring, to desired color
Filling:
- 8 oz (226 g) pkg Neufchatel Cream Cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp pureed whole strawberries, (no sugar added)
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp pure almond extract
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, combine cake mix, flour, oil, eggs, strawberry puree, & food coloring. Scoop 1-inch size balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350˚F for 10 min.
- Using a hand mixer & medium bowl whip cream cheese with butter. Add strawberry puree just until combined. Scrape bowl. Add 2 cups powdered sugar all at once, & blend until just combined. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream for a minute or so on high speed until it starts to get fluffy. Add ¼ cup of powdered sugar gradually. Add almond extract & turn machine off once stiff peaks have been achieved.
- Add cream cheese mixture half at a time to the whipped cream (still in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment) & whisk until combined. Repeat for last half of the mixture. Do one final whisking until the mixture is light & fluffy, but has nice stiff peaks (you will be able to see the whisk leaving marks in the filling as it whisks around & around) then turn of the machine.
- Using a star tip, pipe the filling into cooled, baked cookies. KEEP REFRIGERATED!