These soft vanilla sandwich cookies are delightfully cute and delicious! A soft cookie sandwiched together with raspberry jam and topped with vanilla icing! Biscuits versus cookies, it doesn't matter. What matters is that these soft vanilla sandwich cookies are delicious!
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Do any of you have those recipes that are passed down generations? You know, the ones you've been making since you were a kid, and you continue to make and will probably teach your own kids? Well, this is one of them.
My Grandma Fleur used to make these vanilla sandwich cookies all the time, and then my Mum did and now I do.
There is one funny story associated with cooking, my grandma and recipes from friends. Apparently, Gran had that one friend, who used to give her friends recipes with one or two ingredients missing, so that when they made them, their recipes didn't turn out. Then they would say to her 'oh you must be such a good cook, my recipes never turned out'! ????????????
Can you image?! Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, these vanilla sandwich cookies have ALL the ingredients, and work every time!
The original recipe was from one of my Grandma's friends Joan, and have been simply known as 'Joan's Kiss Biscuits'. I have no idea why they are called Kiss Biscuits, but I do know that they are one of Australia's many baked delicacies!
There was nothing more exciting as a child than going to the bakery to get one, knowing that you'll end up with jam everywhere and sprinkles in the back seat of the car but that you'd love every minute of it!
Essentially what they are, is a soft vanilla cookie, sandwiched together with raspberry jam and iced with vanilla icing. And no, do not substitute the raspberry jam for any other kind. Has to be raspberry, no questions asked!
Secret Tips for Making the Perfect Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
The first secret to making these cookies is how much of the cookie dough you roll out. As a general rule, I use about a teaspoon of the mixture then roll it into balls. Don't be too fussy, but just try and be consistent. Original kiss biscuits are kind of flat, but I prefer them risen and soft.
The second secret to making these perfectly soft and fluffy is the cooking time. Over the years, I've tried and tested these babies to find out that the ultimate cooking time is around 8-10 minutes. This is where things start to get a little technical. I've made these in my Mums oven, and they take exactly 8 minutes. I made them in my oven the other day, and they took closer to 12-14 minutes.
You want them to just have a slightly brown edge and underside, but they will continue to cook once taken from the oven.
Using a non-stick silicone baking mat with help the process of even cooking. I noticed that my oven gets really hot on the bottom rack and burns the bottom. So I used my top rack to get an evenly cooked cookie. I am trusting that you guys know your oven and know how it cooks!
Every oven is different, so just make sure you keep an eye on them!
See image below for confirmation of what does happen when you overdo it! Obviously, you want your cookies to be like the cookie on the right in both pictures - just golden brown and delicious!
These biscuits/cookies are soft, fluffy and deliciously buttery. You won't go back once you've tried them! Every time I make them I'm reminded of home and hours spent with Mumma bear sitting on the bench top as a young lass watching her cook and bake.
With Easter just passed, I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so I decided now was a perfect time to reshare this recipe!
A bonus note - these vanilla sandwich cookies freeze beautifully. After you've cooked them and cooled them, match them together according to size, and place them in a freezer bag or Ziploc bag.
Once you are ready to use them, whip them out and once you've got around to making the icing, they are already defrosted and ready to go.
These would be great for:
- A high tea party with champagne and tea
- Baby shower - dye the icing blue or pink
- Gifts for friends - I love to wrap them up in clear cellophane with ribbon and give to friends when I go to their houses
- Everyday eating - they really are delicious for an everyday cookie!
So, all hail Joan and here wonderful vanilla sandwich cookies! Let me know if you try them, tag us on Instagram @thehomecookskitchen
Georgie x x
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ lbs butter at room temperature, note 1
- 1 cup granulated sugar/caster sugar note 2
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ cups self-raising flour
- raspberry jam
Vanilla Icing (ices 12 cookie sandwiches)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar note 3
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/355F
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy and butter is smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time beating after each addition.
- Gradually add the self-raising flour, beating after each addition.
- Take about one teaspoon of the mixture, and roll into a small bowl. Lay out dough onto parchment paper, leaving adequate room for cookies to spread (note 4)
- Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are just very lightly browned (note 5)
- Cool on a wire rack.
Cookie Assembly
- Once cooled, pair cookies according to roughly size. (note 5)
- Spread a small amount of raspberry jam and sandwich cookies together.
Icing
- Place powdered sugar/icing sugar in a bowl.
- Melt butter in microwave 20 seconds and add to icing sugar along with hot water and vanilla.
- Stir until smooth and relatively thick. (note 6)
- Ice cookies and leave so icing can set.
Notes
for baking. It's been killing me that I haven't been able to find it in America. In America, use granulated sugar and it works fine. I always prefer to use caster sugar in baking because it is less grainy.
note 3 - I used about a third of a cup and it wasn't quite enough. Add powdered sugar gradually until you have reached adequate consistency.
note 4 - cookies will spread a lot, so I usually bake around 6 per time on one tray (depending on tray size). Just make sure you leave enough space for spreading.
note 5 - the first batch might take closer to 12-15 minutes while your oven heats up, but usually they take around 8-10 minutes. Don't worry if they don't look fully cooked, you want them really soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. They will also continue to cook once you take them out of the oven. Be aware however of your oven - mine cooks really fast on the bottom, therefore they burnt a lot quicker than the cookies I placed on the top rack. I just used my top rack and in my oven it took around 12 minutes. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they are not over done!
note 6 - after this step, you could freeze them. Place paired cookies into a snap lock/freezer bag and place in freezer.
note 7 - if icing is looking too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add just a touch more hot water. I used ⅓ cup plus 2 extra tablespoons until I reached desired consistency.Nutrition
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Ella says
I made these today and I only made two changes. One was to add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the other was to add 4.5 teaspoons of baking powder since I only have all purpose flour and not self-rising. Excellent cookies!! I filled them with a homemade chocolate frosting. Yum!!! Next time I will try adding almond flavoring for a different taste treat. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Georgie says
Thanks for the wonderful feedback Ella! I love that you changed it up a bit - the chocolate frosting sounds delicious! So happy you loved them!
Sarah says
These are AWESOME! Filled mine with coffee butter cream and chocolate ganache. They were a huge hit!! I’d love to make a chocolate version... any tips on how to alter the recipe? 🙂
Georgie says
That sounds amazing Sarah! What a great idea! I don't have a recipe as of yet I think the additional of the cocoa would make them a little drier but definitely something I'm willing to work on!
Leslie Haasch says
These are just so cute - I love little bite sized cookies! Well, anything really - but especially cookies!
Georgie says
thanks Leslie 🙂 bite-size cookies are SO good, it means you can have more right?!
Kelli says
Definitely making these for the office! Love the sprinkles - they are so much fun! 🙂
Georgie says
they are! these are great for an office morning tea! thanks Kelli 🙂
Ann says
Your photos are mouthwatering and I love that story about your grandma's friend. How funny! These sound delicious. I love family recipes so will have to give them a try.
Georgie says
thanks Ann! it was the first photo i took with my new 50mm lens last year and has been my favourite ever since!
Veena Azmanov says
Wow, these SOFT VANILLA SANDWICH COOKIES are so cute! I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Looks very beautiful and delicious! I definitely want to try this! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Georgie says
thanks Veena 🙂 they're my favourite recipe on the blog by far!!!
beth says
Oh, that's terrible to leave out ingredients!! They were like that though! My mom wouldn't even give my sister-in-laws recipes, until they were in the family long enough! lol! No wonder these cookies have been passed down! They look amazing!
Georgie says
ha ha i love that! i don't think I could not share a family recipe with my inlaws! but isn't it funny that my grans friends used to deliberately leave out ingredients ha ha
Jenn L says
These are so totally up my alley! Love how sweet and little they are - everyone needs a bite-sized sandwich cookie in their arsenal!
Georgie says
bite sized cookies are the best right!!! thanks Jenn 🙂
DiklaLF says
I decided I would marry my husband with the first bite of his mom's cookies, I only had to move continents for it...best decition I ever made! Now I need to travel to your continent and try these , (or maybe I'll just bake them ????.)Beautiful pictures!
Allie @ Miss Allie's Kitchen says
GIRL! These are the most fun & stunning things ever! Must pin for later!
Georgie says
Thanks Allie! They were so fun to photograph 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
These are so cute, Georgie! I've never heard of kiss cookies and I'm quite sure I've been missing out all these years. Vanilla and raspberry and sprinkles all combined in one cookie is basically a dream come true :). I'm going to try these sometime soon--pinned!
Georgie says
Thanks Kelsie! ha ha I think they are an Australian only thing! huge hit back at home when we were kids! they are really delicious and super soft and fluffy!
Emily Weir says
These looks so tasty and cute! And the pictures are great!
Georgie says
Thanks Emily 🙂 appreciate the positive feedback!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
These are such a beauty! I would love to enjoy a few (and a few more) over some tea. Pinning now - thanks for sharing!
Georgie says
YES! they would be perfect with tea! thanks for stopping by!
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
Your photos are stunning and the recipe sounds fresh and sweet. Sharing this on my link love this week. 🙂
Georgie says
Aw thanks so much Julia 🙂 it's so nice to see my hard work finally paying off! And as a relatively new blogger, it's so nice to hear some positive feedback! thanks for the love x