| for the cookie | |
|---|---|
| ½ cup | unsalted butter |
| 1 tbsp | brown sugar, lightly packed |
| ½ cup | granulated sugar |
| 1 | egg |
| 1 pinch | sea salt |
| 1½ cup | all-purpose flour |
| ½ | vanilla bean pod, scraped |
| for the pumpkin spice filling | |
| 1 tsp | pumpkin pie spice |
| ½ cup | whipped honey, unflavored |
In a large bowl, lightly cream together butter and both sugars. Add the egg and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and seeds from the scraped vanilla bean. Add the flour into the butter and egg, mix just until combined.
Roll the cookie dough into a 1“ thick- round log. Wrap the log in parchment paper or plastic, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 325F.
After the dough chills, unwrap it and slice into ½” cookies. Place each approximately 2“ apart on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie to create an indent to hold the filling. Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges just lightly start to become golden. Let cookies cool completely.
Mix the pumpkin pie spice with whipped honey in a small bowl. Scoop the honey mixture into a pastry bag to fill the cookies or use a small spoon to fill the indent and enjoy!
If the indent in your cookies puff out more than you’d like after the baking process, use the back of a ½ teaspoon to push the center of the cookie back down while it is still warm.
The dough can be made up to 5 days ahead of time! Just slice and bake when you’re ready to use.
To split and seed vanilla- use the pad of your thumb and apply firm pressure on the side of the pod, pushing down against the table. Run your thumb down the length of the bean. Next, use the tip of a small paring knife to cut the bean in half. Then use the back of the knife to scrape out the seeds.
Wait! Don’t discard the vanilla bean after it’s scraped! Add it straight into an existing bottle of vanilla extract to intensify the flavor, or boil it in a small pot of milk to add to tea or coffee to get the most out of such a beautiful ingredient.
