Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [55]
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN STUFFED COOKIES
FOR THE COOKIES
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening (2 ounces)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1/8 teaspoon salt
FOR THE GANACHE FILLING
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (do not use bittersweet chocolate)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1. Soften the butter and shortening in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and somewhat smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and brown sugar and continue beating until pale yellow and light, if a little grainy, about 2 more minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla just until evenly colored. Turn off the beaters, add the flour and salt, then beat at a very low speed just until a soft, wet dough forms. Divide the dough in half, wrap each in plastic wrap, flatten slightly into thick disks, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the dough is firm enough to roll out.
2. Fifteen minutes before rolling out the cookies, prepare the ganache filling. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat until barely simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted. Set aside at room temperature while the dough continues to chill.
3. Position the rack in the top third of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and place one of the pieces of dough on it. Dust the dough and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll out to a very thin sheet, only 1/8 inch thick. Use a 21/2-inch, round cookie cutter, lightly dusted with flour, to cut out disks. Separate the disks from the dough sheet. (You may gather any scraps together, refrigerate them again, and reroll them, although the additional flour from dusting will have toughened the dough considerably.)
5. Place 1 teaspoon of the ganache filling in the center of half of the cut-out disks. Cover each with a second disk, then gently pinch the edges together all around to seal the disks closed and create a little pocket cookie. Two warnings: (1) the dough is very fragile, so work quickly and efficiently; and (2) the edges must be completely sealed before baking. If desired, crimp the edges into a decorative pattern.
6. Place the pillows on a large, ungreased baking sheet, preferably nonstick, spacing them about 11/2 inches apart. If all the pillows don’t fit on one sheet, cover the remainder with a clean, dry kitchen towel—or bake the first batch while preparing a second on a second baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 16 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. The tops of the pillows will be rounded and somewhat firm to the touch. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies immediately to a wire rack, thereby preventing the bottoms from browning further. Cool the baking sheet for 10 minutes before proceeding with the remaining dough, using the rest of the refrigerated dough to make more pockets.
Recommended storage
3 days at room temperature
Not recommended for freezing
Customize It!
Before baking, you can brush the cookies lightly with a mixture of 1 large egg white beaten in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons water until foamy. Then sprinkle the cookies with any of the following (you’ll need about 1/2 cup total volume): finely chopped pecans, shredded coconut, or sliced almonds.
Or mix 2 tablespoons superfine sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the cookies with the egg-white wash as above, then dust them with the cinnamon sugar before baking.
Or forgo the egg-white wash, bake the cookies as directed,