This post was originally published here June 2, 2013. The recipe remains the same. But I’ve since updated the text and photographs.
It’s just another December day filled with cookies!
I’m REALLY feeling the cookie recipes this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALWAYS feeling cookies. But I’m also usually game for baking up festive cakes, pies and breads. However, I’m finding that I’m not really gravitating towards those particular items right now. In this year of social distancing and staying at home, I think the individual nature of cookies just appeals to me more.
I don’t know. That’s just my theory.
These Cappuccino Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are particularly well suited for this year of isolation, because the recipe makes just about one dozen cookies (depending on the size of your cookie cutter, of course). I’m sure you’d have no problems doubling the recipe, if needed. But I kind of like just having a few cookies around the house at any given time. Mostly because it means I can try out another new recipe later in the week!
The most important thing to take note of in this recipe is that the dough is fairly tacky. It needs to be chilled before being rolled out (I even find I have to re-chill the dough scraps) AND you have to chill the cut-outs prior to baking. I know we all dream of the magical “no chilling required” cookies, but these just aren’t them. But I’m telling you, they are worth it.
The coffee flavor here is pleasantly strong, which is why I typically choose to make the filling with milk chocolate. The sweetness from the milk chocolate helps to balance out the bitterness of the coffee.
If you don’t have a tiny cookie cutter for the peak-a-boo cutout, you can skip that step and make these sandwich cookies without the little window. They will still be delicious!
Cheers,
Liz
Cappuccino Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 1/2 ounces milk or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
For the Dough:
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting the tops of the cookies
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground coffee
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it’s simmering (do not let it come to a full boil), pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute to start to melt the chocolate. Then stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the filling is smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the filling and refrigerate it until it’s completely chilled, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
- In your mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Then add in the four, coffee and salt. Beat on medium speed until the flour is incorporated and the dough has mostly come together. Use your hands to shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the dough disk in your refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
- Unwrap the dough disk and place it in between two pieces of parchment paper that have been lightly dusted with flour. Roll the dough to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out circles with a small round cookie cutter (I use a 2 1/4 or 2 1/2-inch circle). Use a smaller cookie cutter to make peak-a-boo cut-outs in the center of half of the circles. Use a spatula to transfer the cookie cut-outs to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in your freezer for 10 minutes to chill the cut-outs.
- Meanwhile, gather and re-form the dough scraps into a disk, re-wrapping it in plastic wrap. Place in your refrigerator to chill before continuing to roll out the dough and make cut-outs.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Take the baking sheet straight from your freezer and place it in your pre-heated oven. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. The should look set but not browned. Remove the baking sheet from your oven and let the cookies rest on their baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Once all the cookies have been baked and cooled, whisk the filling until it becomes light and fluffy. Spread the whisked filling onto the bottom sides of half the cookies. Place the cookies with the peak-a-boo cut-outs on a baking sheet and dust the tops generously with powdered sugar. Then place the peak-a-boo cut-out cookies on top of the cookies with the filling to create the sandwiches.
- Sandwich cookies can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-4 days.
Notes
Recipe barely adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies.
these are so pretty Liz! cookies were one of the first things i learned and loved too. and then i had to re-learn with the whole gluten thing 🙂 which was fun in it’s own right! the ground coffee in these beauties must make them shine. yum.
Thank you, Amanda! Cookies will always hold a special place in my heart!
Chilling is okay by me! That’s because there’s so much buttah – so yum and fabulous Liz! Love the star cut out and cappuccino flavor. Cookies – same girl, so many and I’m not mad about it!
Mmmm….buttah! 🙂
Just making sure, recipe calls for ground coffee and NOT instant coffee, right?
Yes that is correct! Regular ground coffee.