Chocolate & Espresso Cookie Sandwich
Hi, I’m back!
Did you miss me? I have been sitting here thinking about how should I start this for the past 20 minutes. Should I be dramatic? Or super chirpy? It feels strange being back, kinda returning to an old home that’s been locked up for a while. Okay, let’s be honest. I’m a bad blogger. I probably do not tick even one of the boxes of being a good blogger. Luckily my livelihood doesn’t depend on it. Not yet. But, all I can say is that I’m back and hopefully I’ll stick around this time. If you’re still here with me, thank you so much for sticking around. You’re the best!
At least I don’t come empty-handed! Yes, I have got a really great recipe for you today. Let me warn you though, they are pretty hard to resist. I mean, I’m talking like chocolate addiction level good. Yup. You know what, I’m just gonna grab one while I write this… Okay, I’m back. So we were talking about cookies. Let’s talk about the cookie itself first. This chocolate shortbread is unlike ANY other you’ve eaten before. They are crumbly yet they are cohesive and super rich. Do you know what I mean? It actually reminds me of these dark chocolate cookies that you get in expensive gourmet stores or cafes. SO good. It’s pretty much you would want from your shortbread and more. Now, let’s talk filling. Personally, these cookies are so good in themselves that I would eat them as they are. And you totally can. If that’s your jam, go ahead. But since this is my first post back, I wanted to come back with a bang, so to say. What better way for the bang than our good ol’ coffee! Full disclosure: this espresso ganache really is an espresso ganache. Nothing I hate more than making something that lacks the main flavour. I especially find this a lot with coffee in desserts. Are people scared to actually add a decent bit of coffee in? Or is it just stinginess? Either way, note that this is an espresso ganache and not espresso cream so it’s coffee all the way. Just how I like it! You can use this recipe in so many other things if you want. It’s super versatile and is actually so ridiculously delicious! Can we also take a moment to appreciate just how freaking shiny that ganache is?! Ah, I’m so happy!
Okay I’m not gonna talk much more. Instead, I’m going to leave you with this recipe so that you can experience the joy I’m experiencing right now, as I go to town on the last cookie left. I don’t mean to tempt…nah I do. Sorry!
It is extremely important to use good quality ingredients when baking because that’s the flavour you’re gonna get. Use good quality chocolate in this recipe for an extremely satisfying chocolate cookie.
You need to try them to know just how good they are! Might wanna keep a glass of milk handy, because they are super rich and super delicious! Here’s why you’ll love them:
They are so chocolatey and is any chocolate lover’s dream
They are crumbly yet kinda rich. Thanks to the added chocolate pieces!
The cookie is unbelievably delicious on it’s own so if you’re not feeling the coffee, fear not!
That espresso ganache is to die for! It really is full of that busting coffee flavour. However, you can decrease the amount if you’re not too big on coffee.
They are both delicious on their own, so can you imagine how good they are together?!
I cannot find any reason why you wouldn’t love them so go make them NOW!
I’m also sharing an Instagram video tutorial on these cookies so if you’re interested, check that out here.
Recipe adaptation: Pierre Herme
Recipe
Serves: 6 cookie sandwiches
Ingredients
For the chocolate cookie:
88g plain flour
15 g good quality cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
60g light brown sugar
25g castor sugar
75g unsalted butter, cold and cubed *
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
60g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
For the espresso ganache:
150 g white chocolate, chopped
100g heavy cream
6g instant espresso/coffee powder **
20g hazelnuts, roasted and chopped (optional)
Method
For the chocolate cookie:
In the bowl of a stand mixer (you can do this by hand as well), add the plain flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and both the sugars.
Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients and with a paddle attachment fitted to the mixer, mix everything until the sand-like texture. If you’re doing this by hand, use a fork to cut the butter and coat the flour mixture until the desired sand-like texture.
Keep the mixer running until the butter-flour mixture starts to clump together. You can add 1 tbsp of water to help it clump.
Once the dough has come together, add in your chopped chocolate, sea salt and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough. We only want to combine everything together.
Take the dough out onto a bench surface and use your hands to shape the dough into a circle.
Cover with cling wrap and chill for an hour or overnight.
Roll out the dough to 4-5mm thickness. Freeze for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 170 C (fan-forced) or 180 C (conventional oven).
Use a cookie cutter of any size and cut out circles. Place on a baking tray lined with silpat.
Bake for 9-10 mins. Let them cool completely on the tray. Don’t over bake them. They will still be soft when out of the oven but will harden up as they cool down.
For the espresso ganache:
Place the white chocolate into a deep bowl.
In a saucepan, add the heavy cream and the espresso powder. Heat until just about to boil.
Turn off the stove and let it infuse for 3-4 minutes.
Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate and use a whisk to combine the ganache until all the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and homogenous. If your coffee hasn’t dissolved completely in the cream, strain the cream over the chocolate.
Put a cling wrap on the surface of the ganache and chill until it thickens and has a pipe-able consistency. Ideally, chill overnight.
Assembly:
Pair the cookies to sandwich.
Transfer the thickened ganache to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. You can use any nozzle.
Pipe the ganache onto the base cookie, add the chopped hazelnuts if using and use the top cookie to sandwich.
Repeat with all the other cookies. Enjoy!
Notes:
* – If using salted butter, reduce the salt amount mentioned to half.
**- If you like a milder coffee flavour, use only 5g of coffee.
If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow long here:
