Delicate festive sandwich cookies with a mint layer

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 60 g softened cream cheese
• 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cups premium wheat flour
• Colored sugar (green, blue, red, silver and white)

Mint filling

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 1 or 2 drops of mint essence
• 1 or 2 drops of red or green food coloring
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preparation:

1. For the cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a medium bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Continue beating on low speed and slowly add the flour. Form the dough into a ball with your hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up slightly.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.3 cm. Cut out as many circles as possible with a small cookie cutter and place them on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2.5 cm between each cookie. Roll out the remaining dough and repeat the process until all the dough is used. Cut out "windows" in half of the cookies using a smaller cookie cutter (about 2 cm) or by hand with a sharp knife. Arrange the cut-out pieces on the baking sheet and sprinkle each cookie with colored sugar.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, butter, peppermint essence, food coloring, and 1/2 teaspoon water. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spread a thin layer of peppermint filling on a whole cookie and top with a window circle. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve. sandwich cookies with a layer of small cookies made from cut-outs.