Cookie Week…..Sandwich Cookies

Welcome to #cookieweek my little cookie monsters! Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen and Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic have joined together this week with 23 of their blog friends (of which I am one) to present to you a week of cookie treats! We have every type of cookie you can think of listed this week, including something for our furry friends! Now is the time to bookmark these recipes for the upcoming holidays and cookie swaps!  Make sure you enter the giveaway with some fabulous prizes from KitchenAid, King Arthur Flour, OXO, Silpat and Zulka Pure Cane Sugar to help with your cookie making needs!

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

This cookie–without the filling– is the family favorite in my house. It’s just the tiniest bit crisp on the edges, and then chewy and soft. The flavor is like pure dark chocolate brownie. I DOUBLE DOG DARE you to eat just one.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Makes about 48 cookies, or 24 sandwich cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar, plus more for dipping
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract
• Swiss buttercream, below

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.

In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until creamy, scraping down your bowl a few times.  Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture, again stopping to scrape down your bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a third at a time, mixing just until combined.

Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator for one hour.  Using a 1 ½” cookie dough scoop, scoop out the dough and roll into balls.  Roll balls in extra sugar (may use regular, or coarse if you like the extra crunch of coarse sugar).

Place 2” apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 9 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Try not to eat them yet. It will be hard, but you must try. Or there will be no sandwich cookies.  Either way…Have I mentioned that this basic cookie is my favorite cookie of ALL TIME…

If the cookies survive long enough, pipe or spoon about 1 tablespoon of buttercream onto half of the cookie bottoms, and top with remaining cookie halves.

Variations

Since this cookie is dark, and not too sweet, it is the perfect method of conveyance for many flavors:

Peppermint Sandwiches–flavor the buttercream with mint extract, and tint it pink.  Roll the edges of the filled cookies in a bowl of crushed peppermints.

Mocha Sandwiches—flavor the buttercream with espresso powder or coffee extract, and roll the edges of the filled sandwiches in grated dark chocolate

Fill with Nutella or Peanut Butter, rather than buttercream

Fill with orange marmalade or raspberry preserve…because dark chocolate and tart fruits are DA BOMB

Ice Cream Sandwiches—allow your favorite ice cream to come to soften for about 15 minutes at room temperature.  Excellent flavor choices are vanilla, cookies n cream, coffee, mint chocolate chip, and cherry vanilla….Place a small scoop of ice cream in to the center of half of the cookies, and top with the other halves, pressing down slightly.  Quickly wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for several hours or overnight.

Swiss Buttercream

Swiss buttercream is NOT the same as the heavy, cloyingly sweet frosting that is typical in most American recipes—all powdered sugar and butter. The emphasis here is on the whipped egg whites and butter, with far less sugar. Although not super sweet, it is still very rich and buttery and should not be mistaken for health food.  It may look intimidating, but it’s easy. Give it a try and you’ll never go back to powdered sugar and butter again!

Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 8 ounces sugar
• 5 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla, or other flavors as desired

Equipment needed: 5-quart stand mixer, whip and paddle attachments, candy thermometer, large saucepan, hand-held whisk….All equipment must be very clean and dry. Any oily or fatty residues could cause an epic Swiss buttercream fail.

Directions

Cut your butter into inch chunks and set aside.

Fill your saucepan half full with water, and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Using your hand mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar together until foamy.  Set the mixing bowl over the bowling water, and place the candy thermometer on the side.  Continue to whisk the mixture over the boiling water until the candy thermometer reads 110*. Don’t allow any boiling water to get into the mixing bowl.

Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer with the whip attachment, and whip on high until a stiff merengue is formed. Remove the whip and replace with the paddle. Turn on medium speed, and begin to add the butter chunks a few at a time, and whatever flavor extracts you are using. It may look a little broken or curdled at this point, but that’s fine. Crank up the speed to high, and let her rip. When the mixture turns smooth and thick and of a consistent texture, it is done.

Use right away, or store covered for a few days or in the fridge for a few weeks.  To return stored frosting to the right consistency, place back in the mixer and beat for a few minutes until it has warmed and softened.

Have Yourself Anudder Sandwich Cookie–Peanut Butter

Anutter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie

Another homemade take on a store bought classic….this one is peanut butter.

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Peanut butter filling, below

Preheat oven to 350*

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars.  Add in the egg and vanilla, scraping down your bowl at least once.  Add flour and baking soda, and mix until all are incorporated.  Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls. Place 2” apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Using either the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, or the tines of a fork dipped in sugar, flatten the cookies to about 1/3 of an inch. Bake for 18 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before filling with peanut butter filling

Peanut Butter Filling

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter and peanut butter together in a small saucepan, mixing well and stirring continuously over medium heat. Remove from heat, and our mixture into mixing bowl.  Beat in sugar, a little but at a time.  Allow the frosting to cool for a few minutes until just spreadable. Spoon a few teaspoons onto each of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, and allow to sit for 30 minutes to firm up completely.

• Bethmännchen cookies by Masala Herb
• Chewy Brigadeiro Pecan Bars by Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Cookie Thumbprints with Sweet Pepper Jelly by Omeletta
• Chocolate-Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies by i heart eating
• Earl Grey Icebox Cookies by Crumb
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Homemade Thin Mints by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies by Like Mother Like Daughter
• Miso Sesame Cookies by NinjaBaking.com
• Peppermint Cream Thumbprint Cookies by Beyond Frosting
• Salted Caramel Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies by The Cooking Actress
• Sandwich Cookies by Texana’s Kitchen
• Shortbread Christmas Mouse Cookies by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Giant Ginger Cookies by Jen’s Favorite Cookies

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We have an amazing  giveaway lined up this week thanks to our fabulous sponsors, KitchenAid, OXO, King Arthur Flour, Silpat and Zulka Pure Cane Sugar.

Four lucky winners will win one of the following:

Prize #1: 1 (one) KitchenAid 9-Speed Hand Mixer plus 1 (one) 4lb bag of  Zulka Pure Cane Sugar

Prize #2: 1 (one) OXO gift set including the following:  1 (one) 3-in-1 Egg Separator, 1(one) Cookie Press, 1(one) Autumn Cookie Disk Set, 1(one) 3 piece Cookie Cutter Set, 1(one) Bowl Scraper, 1(one) 2 Cup Adjustable Measuring Cups

Prize #3: 1 (one) King Arthur Flour gift set including the following: 1(one) King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour -5lb bag, 1(one) Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set, 1(one) King Arthur Flour Pure Vanilla Extract, 1(one) Sparkling Sugar Collection, 1(one) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Wafers – 16oz and 1(one) 4lb bag of Zulka Pure Cane Sugar

Prize #4: 1 (one) Silpat Halfsize Mat and 1(one) 4lb bag Zulka Pure Cane Sugar

This giveaway is open to US residents and will be picked from random draw.  The winners will be notified via email and have 72 hours to respond, if not their prize is forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

A little about our sponsors:

The iconic Kitchenaid stand mixer was born in 1919, from there stemmed an entire kitchen of  high-performance appliances -all created with the same attention to detail and quality.OXO’s mission is dedicated to providing innovative consumer products that make everyday living easier.King Arthur Flour was founded in 1790, as America’s oldest flour company they provided pure, high-quality flour to residents of the newly formed U.S., still going strong, they are the nation’s premier baking resource.Silpat was founded in 1965 by M Guy Demarle in Northern France.  He was an experience baker seeing a better way to bake bread with forms using non-stick silicone coatings.  He invented the first non-stick baguete baking trays and a few  years later invented  and created the original Silpat.Zulka Pure Cane Sugar is a Non GMO Project Verified “Morena” sugar – a term used to described granulated sugars that do not undergo conventional refining processes.  Zulka is perfect for baking, it tastes better, is less processed and is a cup for cup replacement.

Disclaimer: KitchenAid, OXO, King Arthur Flour, Silpat and Zulka Pure Cane are providing the prizes free of charge.  All opinions stated are my own.