Chocolate CrÈme Sandwiches From Dories Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES WITH VANILLA-CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Set 2 racks in the middle and upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. While pulsing or on low speed, add the butter, then the egg. Process or beat until the dough is thoroughly blended and massed together. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheets at 2-inch intervals. With moistened fingers, round out the cookies and flatten them a little. Bake for 9 minutes, turning the pans once for even baking, until the cookies are set. Set the cookie sheets on a rack to cool.
• Vanilla-Cream Filling: Put the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and, at low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, until blended. Turn the mixer up to high and beat for 2 or 3 minutes more, until fluffy.
• With a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip, pipe teaspoon size blobs of filling onto the tops of half the cookies. Keeping the smooth bottoms of the cookies facing up, flip the remaining cookies on top of the filling and lightly press to form sandwiches.

CHOCOLATE CRÈME SANDWICHES FROM DORIE'S COOKIES

Steps:

• A word on cocoa:.
• The darker the cocoa you use for these, the darker and more like Oreos your cookies will be. I use cocoa powder made by Valrhona; it's very dark brown with hints of red. If you want an even darker color, you can use a combination of black cocoa (available online from King Arthur Flour) and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. As with all cookies, it's the taste that counts. Because cocoa has no fat, it will never have the richness of your favorite chocolate, but it will give rich flavor to whatever you're baking, so choose your cocoa as carefully as you choose your chocolate.
• TO MAKE THE COOKIES:.
• Whisk the flour and cocoa together.
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg white and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until the white, which will curdle the mixture at first, is fully incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Turn off the machine, add the flour and cocoa all at once and pulse until the risk of flying flour has passed. Turn the mixer to medium and mix until you have a dough that holds together and forms clumps when pinched - it shouldn't come together in a ball.
• Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and knead it until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough between pieces of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Slide the dough, still between paper, onto a baking sheet - you can stack the slabs - and freeze for at least 1 hour.
• GETTING READY TO BAKE:.
• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter (or the cutter of your choice) at hand.
• Working with one sheet of dough at a time, peel away both pieces of parchment paper and put the dough back on one piece of paper. Cut the dough and place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch between them. Gather together the scraps from both pieces of dough, re-roll them and freeze until firm.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes, or until the cookies feel firm to the touch. Transfer the sheets to racks and allow the cookies to rest for at least 5 minutes before lifting them onto the racks to cool to room temperature.
• Cut and bake the remaining dough, using cool baking sheets.
• TO MAKE THE FILLING:.
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients together on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. The filling will look like cream cheese.
• TO FINISH THE COOKIES:.
• Put a spoonful of filling on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom side down, and jiggle the cookies, twisting them in opposite directions, to spread the filling evenly. The cookies can be eaten immediately, although the filling will be soft and squish out at first bite. If you'd like neater cookies (with filling that will still squish, but less so), give the filling a couple of hours to set and firm a little, or chill the cookies for 1 hour.
• STORING:.
• The rolled-out dough can be frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to 2 months. The dough can also be cut into rounds, wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; no need to defrost before baking. The filling can be made ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once baked and filled, the cookies are best served that day, but they can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 2 days. The cookies are good cold or at room temperature.
• Recipe courtesy of DORIE'S COOKIES by Dorie Greenspan.
• Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dories-Cookies-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0547614845/.

CHOCOLATE 'N' CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and egg. Add flour mixture, and stir until a dough forms.
• Divide dough in half; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to a 1/4-inch thickness. Stack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Place on sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are firm and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.
• Spread half the cookies with 1 tablespoon Cream Filling; top with remaining cookies.

CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Using an electric mixer, beat 6 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add the egg; beat until smooth. Beat in corn syrup. Whisk together the flour and cocoa in a small bowl. Beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well incorporated. Beat in the remaining flour. Divide dough in half.
• On a lightly floured board, roll each half of the dough into a rectangle. Cut each large rectangle into 1x3 inch rectangles. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• While the cookies are baking, make the filling. Heat chocolate chips in a small saucepan on lowest heat. Stir until chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature. Beat 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl until smooth. Scrape the melted chocolate into the bowl; beat well.
• Spread 1/2 teaspoon filling on the bottom of 30 cooled cookies; top with remaining cookies. Sprinkle filled cookies with confectioners' sugar.