----------------------------------COOKIES---------------------------------- 1/4 lb Butter, sweet

1 1/4 c Sugar

2 lg Egg

1 ts Vanilla extract

1/2 c Cocoa, unsweetened

2 c Flour

1/2 ts Salt

1 ts Baking powder

1/2 ts Baking soda

----------------------------------FILLING---------------------------------- 4 tb Butter, sweet

1 ts Vanilla extract

4 c Sugar, confectioners'

Whipping cream To make the cookies, cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl until light. Beat in eggs and vanilla; set aside. Sift the dry ingredients together; stir thoroughly into the butter mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two or three hours. Preheat the oven to 375 F. and grease two cookie sheets. Roll level teaspoons of the dough into balls and place 2" apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and the surfaces slightly dry and cracked. Cool on wire racks. To make the filling, cream the butter until light. Beat in the vanilla and confectioners' sugar, adding the cream and continuing to beat until the consistency of a creamy frosting. Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread about 1/2 tablespoon of filling on the bottom of each cookie, then top with the bottom side of another cookie. Variation: To make half the cookies peppermint-filled, add 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract to *half* the filling. Tint pink or green before filling the sandwiches. ---*The Cereal Murders* Diane Mott Davidson