NUTTY PIE-CRUST COOKIES

NUTTY PIE-CRUST COOKIES RECIPE
 
I like Italian cream cake, so I used it as inspiration for this cookie recipe. The splash of orange liqueur in the filling is my special touch. —Sonji McCarty-Onezine, Beaumont, Texas

MAKES: 40 servings
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

FILLING:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange liqueur, optional
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, beat butter, flour, confectioners' sugar and salt until crumbly. Beat in cream. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Place pecans and coconut in a small bowl; toss to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup coconut mixture. In another bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, salt and, if desired, liqueur until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in remaining coconut mixture. Spread over bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Place reserved coconut mixture in a shallow bowl. Roll sides of cookies in coconut mixture.

Freeze option: Transfer wrapped disks to a resealable plastic freezer bag; freeze. To use, thaw dough in refrigerator until soft enough to roll. Prepare, bake and fill cookies as directed. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Originally published as Nutty Pie Crust Cookies in Cookies & Candies Bookazine 2015, p65