In Hot Chocolate’s early days, I kept a pastry case in the front of the restaurant filled with cookies and bars. One day it dawned on me that a few classic sandwich cookies would make our lineup feel more complete. But by the time Oreos had entered into the rotation, my mind had already jumped ahead to alternatives. If Oreos were so great, would Oreos with peppermint frosting be even better? It didn’t take long to deviate from classics altogether and start creating new ones.
While many cookies aspire to play supporting rolls—a buttery sablé alongside panna cotta or a crisp tuile with ice cream—a sandwich cookie offers a complete experience. Like a good dessert, a sandwich cookie is full of flavor and textural contrasts. Break one in half and you will see layers of gooey, crunchy, crisp loveliness. Eating one should be on par with enjoying a great dessert at a restaurant.
Like a great dessert at a restaurant, sandwich cookies have multiple components. But rather than risk having some of these great recipes boycotted for the sake of time, I have structured most of the recipes into three steps. Step 1 is making the cookies. Step 2 is making the frosting and frosting the cookies. The cookies are delicious after this step. But then I present Step 3, which is about exceeding expectations. Here I dip cookies in chocolate and occasionally add a decoration.
With these steps, these recipes become choose-your-own commitments. All of the cookies are delicious without the frosting. But if you are after that plated-dessert-exceeding-expectations effect, take the cookies all the way through Step 3.
While I have provided yields for each recipe based on the cutters I recommend, you can pick and choose different cookie cutters. Make them tiny for a cookie platter. Or make them twice as big and serve one per plate for dessert, like you would a slice of cake. I also recommend reviewing instructions of rolling and cutting shortbread.
When it comes to butter-based frosting, make and use it on the same day. It firms up when chilled. If the kitchen happens to be very warm the day I make frosting, I chill it for 10 minutes in the bowl before piping it.
I serve sandwich cookies cold. This way they snap when broken in half and the frosting melts as you eat it, allowing the flavors to slowly unfurl in your mouth. The cookies can be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving and they keep in most cases for a week in an airtight container.
FLEUR DE SEL SHORTBREAD WITH VANILLA HALVAH
makes approximately 28 sandwich cookies
I AM ALWAYS ON a quest to find more ways to use halvah in desserts. Coffee, chocolate, and cocoa nibs are my usual pairings with the Middle Eastern sesame confection, but one day I shifted gears in favor of vanilla and fleur de sel. It worked—halvah anchored the vanilla-flecked frosting, for a sweet, salty, nutty result. To finish the cookies, I dip them partially in dark milk chocolate and then place a shaving of halvah on top. The frosting is seasoned well to balance its sweetness, but because the cookies themselves carry a noticeable salt level, you may prefer to add less. If using a sea salt that is not as light and flaky as Murray River (see a
description of the salt), reduce the salt by 1 tablespoon.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a rectangular cutter approximately 1¾ by 2½ inches. To pipe the frosting, you will need the Ateco tip #32.
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sea salt flakes
8 ounces plain or vanilla halvah, cubed
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, or to taste
Piece of plain or vanilla halvah, for garnish
8 ounces milk chocolate, melted
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the yolks in a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
On medium speed, add the yolks, one at a time, and mix until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each yolk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 30 seconds. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half
and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll. Any time the dough starts to stick, repeat the sandwiching and flipping step with the parchment paper.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 1¾ by 2½-inch rectangular cutter, punch out the cookies. (Alternatively, cut the cookies into rectangles according to the instructions in
“Cutting Out Shapes”.) Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
Blend the halvah in a food processor until fairly smooth. Drizzle in the white chocolate and blend until incorporated. The halvah will turn into a thick paste.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring
the frosting together. Briefly mix in the vanilla and salts until incorporated, approximately 1 minute. Add the halvah paste and mix until smooth, with a little texture left from the halvah.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #32 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving an ⅛-inch border, pipe rows of dots onto the cookies. The frosting should be approximately as thick as the cookie. Top each frosted cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Freeze the piece of halvah until chilled, 30 minutes.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip a quarter of the long side of each sandwich cookie into the milk chocolate, shake off the excess, and place on the prepared pans. Using a vegetable peeler, shave a piece or two of halvah and place onto the chocolate-dipped part of each cookie. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, approximately 1 hour.
The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
THE BLACK SABBATH
makes approximately 32 sandwich cookies
A TABLESPOON OF ME is heavy metal. I will always have a place in my heart for the jazzy, rocky roar of early Black Sabbath, the inspiration for this cookie. Its key ingredient is bitter, intense black cocoa, the essential cocoa for any Oreo-style cookie. While I make a variation of Oreo cookies year-round, during the holidays I switch it up and double-stuff the cookies with a peppermint frosting made with Starlite Mints, those candies that come with the check at diners. The harshness of the black cocoa against sweet peppermint is one of the dessert world’s great combinations. To really put it over the edge, I adhere shards of white chocolate brittle to the cookies with the help of dark chocolate. This recipe makes more brittle than you need, but it keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator. (I like it on ice cream.)
To cut out the cookies, you will need a rectangular cutter approximately 1¾ by 2½ inches. To pipe the frosting, you will need Ateco tip #804.
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup black cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
24 peppermint candies (such as Starlite Mints)
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
36 peppermint candies (such as Starlite Mints)
6 ounces white chocolate, melted
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 64% cacao)
2 ounces milk chocolate
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the yolks in a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salts.
On medium speed, add the yolks, one at a time, and mix briefly until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each yolk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 1 minute. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate
until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 1¾ by 2½-inch rectangular cutter, punch out the cookies. Alternatively, cut the cookies into rectangles according to the instructions in
“Cutting Out Shapes”. Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
Blend the peppermints in a food processor until they form a fine powder. If there are still a few large chunks, sift the ground peppermints to remove the chunks (the pieces may clog up the pastry tip).
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed to combine, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the frosting together. Mix
in the melted white chocolate, vanilla, and salt until incorporated, approximately 1 minute. Mix in the ground peppermints until evenly incorporated. The frosting will take on a pinkish hue.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving a ⅛-inch border, pipe Ws onto the cookies, ensuring that the middle of the W is the same height as the ends. If continuing to Step #3, refrigerate the cookies until the brittle is ready.
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Pulse the peppermints in a food processor so you have a mix of medium and fine pieces. Pour into a bowl and fold in the white chocolate. Spread the mixture onto of the prepared pan in an even layer at least ¼ inch thick. Bang the pan against a work surface to flatten. Refrigerate until firm, approximately 30 minutes.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Melt the finishing chocolates together and stir to combine. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, scrape off the excess, and place on the prepared pan. Break a piece of brittle with your hands and adhere it to the chocolate. Place on the prepared pans and refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.
The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
SMOKED ALMOND SHORTBREAD WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM AND RASPBERRY FRAMBOISE
makes approximately 28 sandwich cookies
AT THE END OF every summer, I make a framboise cake. This cookie, which features tart raspberry jam, is inspired by that cake, but I take it in a different direction with smoked almonds and a delicate orange blossom frosting. For a highbrow finish, I dip the cookies in bittersweet chocolate. A few subrecipes are needed to make the frosting, so I suggest staggering preparations. Make the caramelized white chocolate and the jam the day before you make the frosting.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a rectangular cutter approximately 1¾ by 2½ inches. To pipe the frosting, you will need Ateco tip #804.
2 cups smoked salted almonds
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⅓ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ vanilla bean, seeds only
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
¼ to ⅓ teaspoon orange blossom water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 64% cacao), melted
Put the almonds and half of the flour in a food processor and blend until a coarse meal forms and no large pieces of almond remain. Pulse in the remaining flour and the salts.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the yolks in a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
On medium speed, add the yolks, one at a time, and mix until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each yolk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the nut-flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 1 minute. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 1¾ by 2½-inch rectangular cutter, punch out the cookies. (Alternatively, cut the cookies into rectangles according to the instructions in
“Cutting Out Shapes”.) Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the frosting together. Mix in the caramelized white chocolate, vanilla, and salts until evenly incorporated, 30 seconds to
1 minute. Stir in the orange blossom water to taste.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving an ⅛-inch border, pipe Ws onto the cookies, ensuring that the middle of the W is the same height as the ends. The frosting should be approximately as thick as the cookie. Dab a small spoonful of jam on top of the frosting and smear it gently into the frosting. Top each frosted cookie with a second cookie, pressing lightly to adhere.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip a quarter of the long side of each sandwich cookie into the chocolate, shake off the excess, and place on the prepared pans. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, approximately 1 hour.
The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
CHOCOLATE PRETZEL SHORTBREAD WITH MILK CHOCOLATE CARAMEL
makes approximately 28 sandwich cookies
WE MAKE SOFT PRETZELS and pretzel tuiles all the time. When faced with leftovers, we pulverize them into crumbs. It is a natural thing for me to mix the crumbs into shortbread dough—especially chocolate shortbread. Another natural thing for me to do is to make a milk chocolate frosting with brown butter and a splash of whiskey. It didn’t take too much thinking to put these two great things together—end of story. A more casual but still excellent approach to serving Chocolate Pretzel Shortbread is to dip the cookies directly into
Caramel Sauce. So take your pick. If using pretzels to garnish the cookies, serve the cookies within a day or two of decorating; the pretzels go soft if left for too long in the refrigerator.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a rectangular cutter approximately 1¾ by 2½ inches. To pipe the frosting, you will need Ateco tip #804.
2 cups sourdough pretzel nuggets
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
⅔ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
8 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled
1½ tablespoons whiskey
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
6 ounces milk chocolate
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 64% cacao)
28 mini pretzels
In a food processor, grind the pretzel nuggets until they resemble bread crumbs but stop before they become a powder. Pulse in the flour, cocoa, and salts.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the yolks in a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
On medium speed, add the yolks one at a time, mixing briefly until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds per yolk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the pretzel-flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy,
approximately 30 seconds. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 1¾ by 2½-inch rectangular cutter, punch out the cookies. (Alternatively, cut the cookies into rectangles according to the instructions in
“Cutting Out Shapes”.) Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and cook until the milk solids have fallen to the bottom of the pot and turned golden brown and fragrant like toasted nuts, 10 minutes or longer, depending on how cold the
butter is to start. Pour the butter into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until the butter is solid like shortening at room temperature, approximately 30 minutes.
Transfer the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on medium speed for 10 to 15 seconds to break up any solidified pieces of brown butter. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until aerated, approximately 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the frosting together. Mix in the chocolate, whiskey, vanilla, and salts. Mix in the caramel sauce.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving an ⅛-inch border, pipe Ws onto the cookies, ensuring that the middle of the W is the same height as the ends. The frosting should be approximately as thick as the cookie. Top each frosted cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Melt the chocolates together in a bowl and stir to combine.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip a corner of each sandwich cookie into the chocolate, shake off the excess, and place on the prepared pans. Place a mini pretzel in the melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.
The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days with the pretzel garnish and up to 1 week without the pretzel garnish.
FOLGERS CRYSTALS WITH SOUR CREAM GIANDUJA
makes approximately 28 sandwich cookies
COFFEE WITH CREAM IS the inspiration for this sandwich cookie. And yes, I am using instant-coffee crystals in this shortbread. When you add coffee crystals to shortbread, the crystals partially melt into the dough, giving it this gorgeous marbling effect and undeniable coffee flavor. I also take a cue from the sugar packets served with coffee and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top before baking.
Gianduja gives the frosting a Nutella accent. In a pinch, you can substitute 5 ounces of 64% cacao bittersweet chocolate plus 5 ounces of milk chocolate for the gianduja.
Folgers instant-coffee crystals are made by freeze-drying coffee. You may try other freeze-dried coffee brands, but do not use powdered instant coffee—it will not react with the dough in the same way. When rolling, the dough needs to be pliable but fairly cold. If it gets too warm, the crystals dissolve, causing the dough to lose its marbling effect and turn the color of coffee. If you notice this is happening, refrigerate the dough until chilled and then try again.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a rectangular cutter approximately 1¾ by 2½ inches. To pipe the frosting, you will need Ateco tip #804.
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
A scant ¼ cup instant-coffee crystals (such as Folgers)
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ cup sour cream
10 ounces gianduja, melted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces gianduja or dark milk chocolate (preferably 53% cacao), melted
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the yolks in a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salts, and coffee crystals.
On medium speed, add the yolks, one at a time, and mix until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each yolk. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula
to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 1 minute. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 1¾ by 2½-inch rectangular cutter, punch out the cookies. (Alternatively, cut the cookies into rectangles according to the instructions in
“Cutting Out Shapes”.) Re-roll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared half sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan. Sprinkle the tops evenly with turbinado sugar.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when
touched, 3 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the frosting together. Mix in the sour cream until incorporated, 30 seconds. Fold in the gianduja, salts, and vanilla until incorporated.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving an ⅛-inch border, pipe Ws onto the cookies, ensuring that the middle of the W is the same height as the ends. The frosting should be approximately as thick as the cookie. Top each frosted cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Put the toffee in a bowl.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip a quarter of the short side of each sandwich cookie into the gianduja, shake off the excess, and dip into the bowl with the toffee. Place on the prepared pans. Refrigerate until the gianduja is firm, approximately 1 hour.
The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
BANILLA NILLAS
makes approximately 32 sandwich cookies
WHEN WE HAVE OVERRIPE bananas, we cook them down and make a puree, which we then use in cakes, sherbet, or frosting—like I do here. I’ve always been somewhat fanatic about how well butterscotch and banana pair up, so I applied the combination to a simple Nilla Wafer–inspired sandwich cookie. A few words to the wise: I bake the cookies low and slow so the edges do not get too dark. You can make the banana puree up to five days in advance. After a few days in the refrigerator, the top layer of the banana puree will oxidize slightly; that’s okay—just scrape it off before using. Finally, the frosting retains a little texture from the banana puree. If you want the frosting to be completely smooth, mix in 4 ounces of melted white chocolate with the butterscotch sauce.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a 2-inch or comparable round cutter. To pipe the frosting, you will need Ateco tip #804.
⅓ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ tablespoons water
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
2 overripe bananas
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ vanilla bean, seeds only
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 64% cacao), melted
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and shortening on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugars and mix on low speed to incorporate. Cream the mixture on medium speed until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Crack the eggs into a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla and water.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salts.
On medium speed, add the eggs and vanilla, one egg at a time, mixing the first briefly before adding the second, until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 1 minute. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch out a long sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and put the dough on
top. Pat into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Unwrap the dough, place on a work surface lightly dusted with flour, and cut in half. Leave at room temperature until the dough has warmed up but is still slightly cool to the touch.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 10 by 11 or 12 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push the edge of a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, periodically dust the top lightly with flour, cover with an additional piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, approximately 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 2-inch round cutter, punch out the cookies. Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the cookies on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Lower the oven to 300°F. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 7 to 10 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan.
To make the puree: Break up the bananas into chunks with your hands. In a small, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, cook the bananas, sugar, water, and lemon juice until the bananas are soft enough to crumble when nudged with a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not caramelize the bananas.
Puree the warm bananas and liquid in a food processor until smooth. While still warm, pour the puree into a storage container and place plastic wrap on top so it is touching the puree (this helps minimize oxidation). Refrigerate until chilled.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the frosting together. Mix in the vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract, and salts until evenly incorporated. Fold the banana puree into the frosting until evenly incorporated. Fold in the butterscotch until evenly incorporated.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the frosting.
Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Holding the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle in the center of the cookie, pipe a “bubble” of frosting, leaving a border on the sides. Top each filled cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Put the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate until the frosting has set, approximately 30 minutes.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip the top of each sandwich cookie into the bittersweet chocolate, shake off the excess, and place face up on the prepared pans. With an offset spatula or a spoon, drizzle the Dulcey Chocolate on top in quick strokes.
GRAHAM CRACKER AND PASSION FRUIT WHOOPIE COOKIES
makes approximately 30 sandwich cookies
I LOVE PAIRING GRAHAM and citrus together, and with its bright flavor, passion fruit acts a lot like citrus in flavor pairings. One day I put passion fruit in marshmallows for an off-the-cuff way to think about a whoopie pie filling. The results are these whoopie pie–inspired cookies. They are fun: the marshmallows are piped onto the shortbread like frosting but set up like marshmallows when chilled.
A few prep notes: Before you start the marshmallows, have everything from the cookies to the piping bag ready to go; the marshmallows set up fast. Passion fruit pulp is often available frozen at Latin markets from brands such as Goya. To gild the lily, I dip the tops of the cookies into melted Dulcey or
caramelized white chocolate. And, if I happen to have any melted dark chocolate handy, I drizzle a minuscule amount on top, just because.
To cut out the cookies, you will need a 2-inch or comparable round cutter. To pipe the marshmallow, you will need Ateco tip #804.
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
14 graham crackers
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 extra-large egg white, at room temperature
4 sheets gelatin
1 cup cane sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
⅓ cup passion fruit puree
½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and cook until the milk solids have fallen to the bottom of the pot and turned golden brown and fragrant like toasted nuts, 10 minutes or longer, depending on how cold the butter is to start. Pour the butter into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until the butter is solid like shortening at room temperature, approximately 30 minutes.
In a food processor, grind the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Measure out 1¾ cups. You may have some left over.
Transfer the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on medium speed for 10 to 15 seconds to break up any solidified pieces of brown butter. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until aerated, approximately 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Crack the eggs into a small cup or bowl and add the vanilla.
In a bowl, whisk together the flours, salts, and graham cracker crumbs.
On medium speed, add the eggs and vanilla, one egg at a time, mixing the first briefly before adding the second, until the batter resembles cottage cheese, approximately 5 seconds for each egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. Mix on medium speed for 20 to 30 seconds to make nearly homogeneous.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 1 minute. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of the plastic wrap. Pat each half into a rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Let the dough halves sit at room temperature until the dough has warmed up some but is still cool to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
Put a sheet of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan on the work surface and dust lightly with flour. Put one dough half on top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11 by 13 inches and ¼ inch thick or slightly under. If the edges become uneven, push a bench scraper against the dough to straighten out the sides. To keep the dough from sticking to the parchment paper, dust the top with flour, cover with another piece of parchment paper, and, sandwiching the dough between both sheets of parchment paper, flip the dough and paper over. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and continue to roll.
Ease the dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining dough half and stack it on top. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate the layers until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Let the dough sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes. Invert the dough onto a work surface and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Roll a dough docker over the dough or pierce it numerous times with a fork. Using a 2-inch round cutter, punch out the cookies. Reroll the dough trimmings, chill, and cut out more cookies.
Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spacing up to 16 cookies per pan.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm and hold their shape when touched, 2 to 4 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining pan. Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg white on high speed until it becomes overwhipped and starts to turn grainy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with ice water and add the gelatin.
While still beating the egg white, fit a small pot with a candy thermometer. Add the sugar, corn syrup, passion fruit puree, and enough water to cover. Heat the pot over medium-high heat until the sugar syrup reaches 238°F, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the amount of water added. When the sugar reaches 238°F remove the pot from the heat. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatin with your hands and stir the gelatin into the syrup.
With the mixer on medium speed, pour the syrup in an even stream into the egg white. Whip in the salt. Continue to whip until the egg white has cooled to warm but is still fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #804 and fill with the marshmallow.
Holding the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle in the center of each overturned cookie, pipe a “bubble” of marshmallow, leaving a border on the sides. Top each filled cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Put the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate until the marshmallows have set, approximately 1 hour. The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Dip the top of each sandwich cookie into the Dulcey chocolate, shake off the excess, and place face up on the prepared pans. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm.
The cookies can be served right away or frozen and served within 1 week.
MILANOS
makes approximately 36 sandwich cookies
FOR AS LONG AS I can remember, I have carried a deep love for milk chocolate Milanos, those vaguely European vanilla cookies sandwiched together with chocolate from the folks at Pepperidge Farm. So I finally figured out a way to make them myself. While tinkering with the recipe, I discovered that whipping hot fudge makes a silky, milk chocolate frosting, the perfect filling for these cookies. I dare you to eat just one.
The most challenging part of these cookies is piping the batter so that the cookies are the same size. To make it easier, I fold sheets of parchment paper into thirds like a business letter, using the folds as a template. When piping the cookies, keep the pastry tip close to the parchment paper and hold the bag at a 90-degree angle. To release the dough, run the tip back over the top of the cookie.
To pipe the cookies and to fill them with hot fudge, you will need Ateco tip #895.
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fold 4 sheets of parchment paper the same dimensions as a half sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan into thirds lengthwise like a business letter. Line 4 half sheet pans with the folded parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. (Or work in batches if you do not have enough pans. You can put the parchment paper directly on the counter and reload when pans free up.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugars and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture until it is aerated and looks like frosting, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.
Put the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Add the milk and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until nearly incorporated.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together, approximately 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and mix for
another 30 seconds to a minute to ensure the batter is homogeneous. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #895 and fill with the cookie batter. Holding the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle, pipe three rows of 2½-inch-long strips of dough onto the prepared sheet pans, up to 20 cookies per pan, using the folds in the parchment paper as a guide. Working in batches if refrigerator space is limited, refrigerate the sheet pans until firm, at least 20 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the edges are golden brown and the tops are firm, 4 to 6 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the pans. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the hot fudge until it lightens to the color of milk chocolate and looks like frosting, 3 minutes.
Fit a pastry bag with the Ateco tip #895 and fill with the hot fudge.
Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Make pairs of similar-size cookies. Turn half of the cookies over. Leaving a small amount of room at the ends, pipe even strips of hot fudge down the length of the upturned cookies. Top each frosted cookie with a second cookie and press lightly to adhere.
Put the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate until set before serving. The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
