Two chocolate-covered chocolate wafers held together by a thick layer of peppermint-flavored frosting make a dessert cookie that could serve as the finale for the fanciest party or a refreshing ending to a spicy dinner. No party in the offing? These cookies are reason enough to party.
makes 9 cookie sandwiches • cookie making 30 minutes, plus chilling time for the dough cookie baking 325 degrees, two baking sheets for about 15 minutes each
cookies
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dark chocolate coating
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1 cup)
½ ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1½ tablespoons canola or corn oil
peppermint filling
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
MAKE THE COOKIES. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter and sugar until blended and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes to firm it slightly.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll heaping tablespoons (3 level tablespoons each) of dough between the palms of your hands into smooth 1½-inch balls, and place them 3½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the palm of your hand, flatten the cookies to 2½- to 3-inch rounds.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and look dull rather than shiny, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE COATING. Put both chocolates and the oil in a heatproof container or the top of a double boiler, and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and let the chocolate coating cool and thicken slightly, about 20 minutes.
Spoon the chocolate coating over the top of half of the cookies, using 1 tablespoon per cookie. Use the back of the spoon to spread the chocolate evenly and coat them completely. If some chocolate drizzles over the cookie edges, that is fine. (You will have about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate coating left for another use or to drizzle over ice cream.) Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the chocolate is firm. Or to speed the firming of the chocolate, refrigerate the cookies for about 20 minutes, then remove them from the refrigerator.
MAKE THE FILLING. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. The filling will be quite thick. Turn the plain cookies bottom side up. Spoon a well-rounded tablespoon of filling into the center of each, carefully place the bottom of a chocolate-coated cookie on the frosting, and gently press the cookie to spread the filling into an even layer. The filling will not reach the edges.
Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold. The wrapped cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
choices
Coat all of the cookies with the chocolate coating and serve them as single chocolate cookies. Double the chocolate coating recipe (omit the peppermint filling).
