Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream From The Cookie Party Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Cookie Exchange St. Martin's Press/Macmillan by Robin Olson (www.cookie-exchange.com)

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Dough
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely ground pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Stir together the butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir in the flour. Add the nuts and vanilla and stir to combine.
Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto the lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until bubbly and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients until smooth.
Spread 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the bottom of one cookie.
Top with a second cookie, bottom side down, pressing lightly to adhere.
Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Variations: Use different extracts to flavor the filling: for example, almond, coconut, or raspberry.  

Makes 18 to 20 cookies