Apple Butter Cookies

When we visited the apple orchard a couple of weeks ago, we bought a jar of Apple Butter.
When we got home, we opened it up and to my surprise, there is no butter in apple butter. Who knew? The kids didn't want it, and I didn't know what to do with it.

Also a couple of weeks ago, I decided to join the Cookie Carnival. Just for fun. And September's cookie recipe happened to be....

Apple Butter Cookies.

How fortuitous!

I wasn't sure what to expect out of these, but they turned out great. A very tasty fall treat. This recipe is a very cakey cookie, but the cookie and filling make a great combination.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 TB molasses
3/4 cup sour cream
½ cup apple butter
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2 cups pastry flour**
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup apple butter for the filling

**You can substitute 1 cup pastry flour with 2 TB corn starch and 7/8 cup all-purpose flour. I just put the corn starch in the bottom of my 1 cup measuring cup and then fill it up with flour.**

Directions:
1. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth.
2. Stir in molasses, sour cream and ½ cup apple butter.
3. Stir in yolks and eggs.
4. Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Gently stir into butter mixture.
5. Spoon or pipe batter by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet (line it with parchment paper), leaving 1 ½-inches between them. Spoon a teaspoonful of remaining apple butter into center of each cookie. Pipe more batter on top.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes at 325 degrees, until cookies lift easily from tray.

Adapted from The Food Network