ok so remember how i said vanilla when done right is better than chocolate? well these little babies prove my point to a “t”!
these little gems are the like the opposite of an oreo except only a million times better. first of all… they’re soft, dense cookies. i think i’ve established like 5000 times that i like softer cookies v. hard cookies so point to the softness of these cookies. but unlike the peppermint sugar cookies i posted back in december, these babies are dense. almost like eating baked dough…
ok i know that that’s totally what you’re doing but you get it right? i can’t even explain.
back to the cookies. the original recipe i came across had a triple berry buttercream. which i’m sure is quite delicious if you like that kind of thing. me… i don’t like berries. well unless they’re blended into my margarita or flavoring my vodka… (sorry. not really.) but i do like chocolate ganache. in fact i like it so much that if i ever venture to that cookie place in the mall that shall remain nameless, i get one of those cookie sandwiches specially made with chocolate instead of that super sweet white icing they have. so when i saw the recipe, i figured i could play around with the filling. and i will play more each time i make these because i will be making them again.
the cookies themselves were awesome. amazing. astounding.
sorry, i was on a roll with “a” adjectives…
but seriously. the cookies were all those things and more. i was a little leary because let’s face it. vanilla cookies can be vanilla if not done well. but these my dear friends are done well. i’m not going to lie.. i definitely attribute some of that to good ingredients. i don’t use just any vanilla off the shelf of the store. i get real vanilla extract. oh and i used some vanilla bean paste and the vanilla bean seeds that the recipe called for.
yes.
i did use a lot of vanilla. more than the recipe called for in fact but i think that made all the difference.
trust me.
vanilla sandwich cookies.
- 1 1/4 c (2 1/4 sticks) softened, unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 c sugar - if you had some vanilla sugar on the side, you could do 1/4 c of that with 1 c regular sugar… just saying.
- 2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 egg
- 3 tsp corn starch – weird i know but it worked out well so whatever…
- 3 c flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- sanding sugar
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate – you could really use any type of chocolate you’re exceptionally fond of, i think dark would be really good too
- 12 oz (1 1/2 c) heavy cream
- preheat oven to 350F. line baking pans with parchment.
- beat together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and vanilla bean seeds and beat together for about 30 sec.
- add the egg and beat that in until well incorporated.
- sift together the flour and cornstarch in a bowl. add to the butter mixture on low speed. mix until just incorporated.
- using your handy dandy cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough onto your parchment lined cookie sheets. using the bottom of a drinking glass (and yes use a real glass and you might want to dip it in water to prevent sticking), press down on each cookie to make it slightly flat. sprinkle with your sanding sugar.
- bake 9-10 min until the cookies are just barely golden. move to a wire rack to completely cool.
- while cookies are cooling, add the heavy cream and chocolate to a double boiler and melt together while stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
- when the ganache is all melted together, remove from the heat and let cool until it is spreadable.
- spread some ganache on a cookie and sandwich it with another cookie.
ok… so i know that seems like a lot of steps but trust me on this one. TOTALLY WORTH IT. i brought these little nuggets of vanilla goodness to a parade party and they were a hit… like a hit in that everyone was asking for the recipe. like everyone. for real.
try them. with or without the ganache filling.
yum.
kisses.
recipe slightly adapted from: culinary concoctions by peabody
