1/2 POUND BUTTER, SOFTENED
¾ CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
PINCH OF SALT
1 1/2 CUPS FLOUR
8 OUNCES SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE (8 BAKING SQUARES)
3 TEASPOONS LIGHT CORN SYRUP
3 TEASPOONS COFFEE LIQUEUR
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
3. On low speed, gradually add the salt and flour. Mix until just blended.
4. Using a pastry bag fitting with a plain tip, pipe 2-inch-long strips onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Try to pipe the cookies so they are all the same length. This will make it easier to pair them.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Remove cookies from the cookie sheet using a metal spatula. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Slowly melt chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When melted, add corn syrup and coffee liqueur. Remove from heat.
7. Using a butter knife, spread a dab of chocolate on the bottom of a cookie. Cover the chocolate with another cookie, forming a sandwich. The rounded sides should be on the outside. Repeat the chocolate filling with the remaining cookies. If the chocolate gets too thick, return it to over the simmering water to thin it to spreading consistency.
♦ FROSTING COOKIES ♦
ONE OF MY EARLIEST BAKING TASKS WAS TO FROST THE LEMON DROP COOKIES. THIS WAS A GREAT JOB. I WOULD TAKE THE FRESHLY BAKED COOKIE AND DIP IT INTO THE BOWL OF LEMON ICING. THIS TECHNIQUE WAS GREAT BECAUSE MANY OF THE COOKIES CRUMBLED: I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO EAT THE BROKEN ONES! (IT ALSO LEFT MANY CRUMBS IN THE FROSTING, SO THE SPATULA TECHNIQUE DESCRIBED IN THE ICING RECIPE IS MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.)
FOR HOLIDAYS, YOU CAN FROST THE COOKIES WITH A DROP OF FOOD COLORING ADDED TO THE ICING—PINK FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, GREEN FOR ST. PATRICK’S, AND PALE YELLOW AND LAVENDER FOR EASTER. SPRINKLE THE MOIST FROSTING WITH SPRINKLES OR NONPAREILS FOR A MORE FESTIVE LOOK.