• Servings

  10 filled cookies

INGREDIENTS

• Cookie Dough
• 100 g unsalted butter, super squidgy soft
• 70 g soft icing sugar
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 180 g plain flour*
• 40 g almond meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (freshly ground is best)
• Freshly grated ¼ nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• JAZZ™ Apple Gems
• 1-2 JAZZ™ apples (get an extra one for snacking while you bake..you’ll thank me later)
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 40 g real maple syrup
• Cream Cheese Frosting Filling
• 150 g soft icing sugar
• 40 g unsalted butter, super squidgy soft
• 50 g full-fat soft cream cheese, room temperature soft
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• Teeny pinch sea salt flakes

METHOD

• Beat the butter and sugar in a roomy bowl with a stiff plastic spatula to make a smooth paste.
• Add the egg and mix together to make a lumpy paste – it doesn’t need to be fully incorporated.
• Stir the dry ingredients together and tip in. Take care not to overwork the dough but make sure there aren’t any visible butter streaks that will cause buttery fissures (not pretty but still delicious) when baked.
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Give it a light knead and chill for a minimum 1 hour before rolling.
• While the dough rests, prep the JAZZ apple gems by peeling and coring the apples. Cut into the neat and cute 4 mm cubes and set aside. Heat the butter and maple syrup in a pan until foamy and caramelly brown. Fry the apple gems, tossing/stirring often until the cubes are translucent tanned golden. Scrape onto a heatproof tray lined with absorbent paper to cool and drain.
• Heat the oven to 130°C. Lightly spray two flat baking trays with cooking oil spray and line with baking paper.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to an even 3 mm thickness. Keep moving the dough and flouring underneath as you roll. If the dough cracks, it doesn’t matter- just collect up and re-knead lightly. If the cookies or dough stick to the work surface, shimmy an offset spatula underneath to loosen them.
• Use a 7 cm round cutter to stamp out the cookies. Immediately lift onto the lined baking tray. Collect up the scraps and roll again. Repeat the process with the remaining portion of dough. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until set (when you can easily lift one up) and lightly tanned brown. Remove from the oven and place the trays on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before filling.
• Beat all the frosting ingredients together for 10 minutes on low speed until the frosting is fluffy and ultra-creamy on a stand mixer. It should hold its shape and not be melty or slack. If it slumps, chill and re-beat.
• Lay half the cooled cookies, bottom side up, on a clean tea towel and pipe (or spoon) a blob of frosting on each one. Press a heaped teaspoon of apple gems deep into the frosting. So the frosting doesn’t form a crust, quickly sandwich with the top cookie and lightly press (with a little swirly wiggle) to bring the filling just flush with the cookie edge. Swipe a finger around the edge to neaten any stray frosting. Chill for 10 minutes to set the cookie before serving.