Makes: Twenty-three 2¾ inch cookie sandwiches
This cookie stays fudgy even when frozen. The edges of the cookies are crisp, which provides a charming contrast to the fudgy interior of the cookie and the creamy ice cream filling.
My favorite ice cream pairings for these cookies are Cherry Vanilla, Caramel, and Nocciola.
Plan Ahead The dough requires 1½ hours to chill before shaping and 3 hours to freeze before baking, or can be frozen for 3 months.
Oven Temperature: 350°F/175°C
Baking Time: 8 to 10 minutes for each of four batches
Special Equipment
Two 16 by 12 inch cookie sheets, nonstick or lined with parchment
Two 12 by 1⅝ inch (measured from the inside) cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls, each cut in quarters
A sharp knife with a 1½ to 2 inch tall blade
A 2 inch ice cream scoop or ¼ cup solid measure
Dough
Makes: 600 grams
| unsalted butter | 142 grams | 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) |
| 1 large egg | 50 grams | 3 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon (47.5 ml) |
| bittersweet chocolate, 60% to 62% cacao, chopped | 42 grams (1.5 ounces) | about ¼ cup |
| bleached all-purpose flour | 144 grams | 1 cup (lightly spooned into the cup and leveled off) plus 3 tablespoons |
| unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder | 37 grams | ½ cup (sifted before measuring) |
| baking soda | 2.7 grams | ½ teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | . | ⅛ teaspoon |
| heavy cream | 43 grams | 3 tablespoons (45 ml) |
| corn syrup | 14 grams | 2 teaspoons (10 ml) |
| pure vanilla extract | . | 1 teaspoon (5 ml) |
| superfine sugar | 150 grams | ¾ cup |
Mise en Place
* About 1 hour ahead, set the butter and egg on the counter at room temperature (65° to 75°F/18° to 24°C).
Melt the Chocolate
1) In a small microwavable bowl, stirring with a silicone spatula every 15 seconds, heat the chocolate until almost completely melted. (Alternatively, heat the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water, stirring often—do not let the bottom of the container touch the water.)
2) Remove the chocolate from the heat and stir until fully melted. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, or until it is no longer warm to the touch but is still fluid.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
3) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Sift the mixture onto a sheet of parchment.
Mix the Liquid Ingredients
4) In a small bowl, whisk the egg, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla just until lightly combined.
Make the Dough
5) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
6) Gradually beat in the egg mixture. It should take about 15 seconds. Scrape in the cooled melted chocolate and beat until thoroughly incorporated, about 1 minute.
7) Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
8) Detach the flat beater and add the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour mixture until moistened. Reattach the flat beater and beat on low speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. The dough will be like a thick, fluffy butter cake batter.
9) Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to flatten it into a 6 by 5 inch rectangle and refrigerate it for at least 1½ hours, until firm enough to shape. (An instant-read thermometer should read below 63°F/17°C.)
Shape Four Dough Logs
10) Divide the dough into quarters, about 150 grams each. Work with one piece at a time and refrigerate the rest.
11) Set the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap the plastic wrap around the entire piece of dough. Roll the dough into a log, about 1½ inches in diameter and about 5½ inches long. Slide the plastic-wrapped log into one of the cardboard tubes and set it upright in the freezer. Repeat with the remaining dough logs. (If not using the cardboard tubes, lay the dough logs on their sides and turn them a few times until frozen to keep them round.)
12) Freeze the dough logs for at least 2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer reads below 32°F/0°C, to firm it for even cutting. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Preheat the Oven
* Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 350°F/175°C.
Cut the Dough into Cookies
13) The dough cuts most easily when not frozen solid, so it helps to let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature before slicing. It is best to bake one sheet at a time to ensure that the cookies can be removed from the cookie sheet as soon after baking as possible so that they stay soft. Remove one of the frozen dough logs from the freezer and cut 12 (⅜ inch thick) slices. Set them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and bake at once.
Bake the Cookies
14) Bake for 4 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 4 to 6 minutes, or just until set but still soft to the touch.
Cool the Cookies
15) Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool for about 1 minute, or just until they can be lifted. (Do not leave them on the cookie sheet, as they will continue to bake and become brittle.) Use a thin pancake turner to transfer the cookies directly to another wire rack. They will bend slightly but become flat when set on the wire rack to cool.
16) As soon as the cookies are cool, sandwich them with the ice cream (see instructions) or store them airtight. While each batch of cookies is baking, shape the dough for the next batch.
Store
The cookies: Airtight: room temperature, 1 week; refrigerated, 2 weeks; frozen, 1 month