Baking the Cookies

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter, vanilla extract, and sugars together in your mixing bowl for 3 minutes.
3. Stop the mixer and add salt, baking powder, and baking soda as well as half of your eggs and flour. Mix for about 45 seconds on medium speed before stopping the mixer to add the remaining egg and flour, beating again for 30 seconds.
4. Scoop small (about ⅔ the size of a golf ball) round portions of your cookie dough onto ungreased aluminum baking sheets, with about 2 inches between each of them. Bake for 14-15 minutes. Transfer them to cooling racks after they’ve sat on the baking sheets 5 or so minutes outside of the oven and are firm enough to handle. 

Making the Strawberry Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Toss berries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a bowl before spreading them out into a dish or pan to bake for about 20 minutes, flipping berries halfway through. Use an aluminum tray or dish. Bake time may vary depending on the baking vessel and how it conducts heat - metal will be faster than glass, for instance. 
3. Once they have a syrupy consistency, remove from oven and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool in refrigerator. I like to do this step on one day and assemble cookie sandwiches the following.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment — or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer — beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and mix for another 1 minute or until fully combined.
2. Turn off mixer and add salt, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to bowl. Mix on low setting to slowly incorporate powdered sugar before increasing to high setting for another 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice if needed to cut sweetness (personal preference).
3. Add finely ground freeze dried strawberries to mixing bowl and mix until well-combined.
4. Put strawberry frosting into a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice (2D forever!).

Assembling your cookie sandwiches

1. Match your cookies in pairs based on their size and set them out on a clear space in front of you.
2. On the flat side of half of all of your cookies, pipe a thick circle of strawberry cream cheese frosting that reaches the edge of the cookie. Depending on the size of your cookies, place 1-3 teaspoons of your roasted strawberry in the middle.
3. Put matching cookie on top to form the sandwich, with the filling and frosting inside.