Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookie

For the Cookies:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

For the Filling:
1 1/3 cups fresh raspberries (1/2 pint)
2 teaspoons sugar
7 1/2 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make cookies:  Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add egg, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds.  Mix until smooth.  Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in flour mixture.

Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake, rotating sheets halfway through until golden and just set, 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cool on parchment on wire racks.

Make filling:  Puree raspberries and sugar in a food processor.  Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing to extract juice; discard seeds.

Melt white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in cream in a slow, steady stream.  Add reserved raspberry mixture; slowly whisk until pale, about 3 minutes.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies:  Spread 1 Tablespoon filling onto the bottom of one cookie; sandwich with another.  Repeat.  These cookies MUST be refrigerated because of the fresh raspberries and heavy cream!!!