Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

This week’s cookie is the perfect recipe to roll out just days before Halloween.  For one thing, they are all about the chocolate.  And let’s be real–who doesn’t dig through their candy haul at the end of the night in search of something chocolatey?  (I was all about those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers as a kid!).  These Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies are built around chocolate shortbread base which has milk chocolate chips folded into it, and are then held together by a bittersweet chocolate ganache.  Trust me, these are wickedly sinful.

As Halloween nears, the days begin to get shorter and the nights grow just a little bit longer.  Everything starts to feel a little bit eerie and it doesn’t all necessarily have to do with the holiday.  There’s a quiet in the dark that can be unsettling as you start your car in the early morning hours or sit down for dinner with the moon already hanging high above.  That’s why I knew I wanted to go dark this week.

Luckily, there’s nothing unsettling about these Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies!  Nothing besides how absolutely melt-in-the-mouth tender they are.

These Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies use a combination of granulated and powdered sugars as well as all-purpose and almond flours to create a dough that’s softer than a regular shortbread before it goes in the freezer to make these cookies sliceable.  Add to that a little bit of melted chocolate and some vanilla just to amp up the flavor, and you have a biscuit that breaks cleanly if you try to snap it and dissolves on the tongue.

Then, you sandwich the cookies together with a smooth, silky ganache with just a hint of salt.  These are dark and rich without being overly sweet or bitter.  Rather, sweet and bitter work together to make these Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies a perfect bite!  So put on a scary movie and decide whether you want a trick or a treat this Halloween.

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Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Rich and decadent, these Blackout Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies are so tender that they melt-in-your mouth. Two double chocolate chip roll-and-slice shortbread biscuits surround a silky bittersweet chocolate ganache. These are absolutely indulgent without being overly sweet. Yields about 24 sandwich cookies

Course

Dessert

Servings

sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Double Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

• 24 grams dark or bittersweet chocolate chips melted
• 300 grams butter cold and cubed
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 50 grams confectioner's sugar
• 300 grams flour
• 150 grams almond flour
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips blitzed into small chunks

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped into small pieces
• 4 oz heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt

Course Dessert Servings sandwich cookies Ingredients Double Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies 24 grams dark or bittersweet chocolate chips melted 300 grams butter cold and cubed 100 grams granulated sugar 50 grams confectioner's sugar 300 grams flour 150 grams almond flour 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips blitzed into small chunks Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped into small pieces 4 oz heavy cream 1/4 tsp coarse salt

Instructions

Double Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

1. In a small, microwave safe bowl, heat the 24 grams of dark/bittersweet chocolate chips in the microwave until melted. Start with thirty seconds, remove and stir, put in for another fifteen seconds, remove and stir--repeat until fully melted and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar for about 3-5 minutes on high until light and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Then add the melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, and cocoa powder (I used red cocoa for this, but you can use either regular or dark depending on just how rich you want these to be).
5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl 1/2 at a time. Mix until combined.
6. Using a food processor, blitz the milk chocolate chips until they are in small pieces. Stir into the dough.
7. Take half of the dough and roll it into a log. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Stick the two logs in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until solid.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll your logs of dough. Using a serrated knife, cut rounds that are about 1/3-1/2 cm thick. Line the rounds of dough on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheet about 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack or a cool sheet pan.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chocolate in a small-to-medium sized bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it begins to boil along the edges--the bubbles should start to roll into the middle but you don't want it to get too hot and burn! Remove the heavy cream from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Shake the bowl so that the chocolate is fully covered by the cream. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.
2. Using a spatula, start at the center of the bowl and stir until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir in the salt. Allow the ganache to cool in the refrigerator until it is firm yet still spoonable/spreadable.
3. Once the ganache is ready and the cookies are cooled, use a butter knife to spread the chocolate on the bottom side of one cookie--you don't want it to be too thick, but you also don't want to have too little, I like to keep my filing about the same thickness as one cookie. Place another cookie on top. Repeat until all are filled or you run out of ganache.

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