All posts tagged sandwich

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies

A few days ago, my sister-in-law was wonderful enough to take all three of my children so my husband and I could spend a day in the city kid-free!  I ♥ her.  We went to Bleeding Heart Bakery for a late breakfast and after looking at cases upon cases of delicious looking cupcakes, cookies and other sweets, I chose a broccoli quiche.  My husband couldn’t believe it.  But, with all the desserts that I bake, I really wanted something savory and it was delicious.   My husband chose a giant whoopie pie, but was disappointed that it wasn’t nearly as good as mine.   I tasted a bite and couldn’t help but agree.  :D After breakfast, we had time before the movie, so we decided to browse some at Barnes and Noble.  Of course, I made a beeline straight for the cookbook section.  It is there that I came across the book The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, flipped through a few pages and decided that I needed it.  But, it is so hard for me to buy books at the bookstore, when I know I am able to get them so much cheaper on Amazon.  So, somehow I restrained myself and noted the title so I could order it that night.

When the book arrived, I was flipping through it and  I knew that I had to make the chocolate chip cookie dough filled sandwich cookies immediately.  I mean, are you kidding me?  My favorite cookie, sandwiched together with cookie dough filling, which I may like even more than the cookie itself?  Now, that is genius!  The cookie batter comes together easily, just like any other chocolate chip cookie dough.  The cookies bake up flat, and a bit crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.  The cookie dough frosting tastes so much like cookie dough, I had a hard time not eating it all right out of the bowl.  Okay, I admit it.  I ate some.  But, I still had enough to fill the cookies…well, most of them anyways.   Filled or not, these cookies are simply delicious.  As if there was any doubt.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwich Cookies

Yield: 20 to 24 sandwich cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

For Cookie Dough Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until no lumps remain, 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll chilled dough into smooth, tablespoon-size balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Flatten balls slightly into 3/4-inch disks.  Arrange about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. These flatten and spread quite a bit.  I suggest baking 9 cookies/sheet for your first batch so you can gauge size and spacing.  Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until cookie edges are lightly golden. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the cookie dough filling, beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, and salt on low speed until incorporated. Slowly add heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in mini chocolate chips.

To assemble, sandwich 1 heaping tablespoon of filling between two cookies. Press cookies lightly until filling spreads to the edges. Repeat with remaining cookies.  Sandwiches can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.  Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Source:  The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook

10 Comments
by Just Baked on June 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Chocolate, Cookies, whoopie pies
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Posted by Just Baked on June 27, 2012

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Oatmeal Cream Pies

Like most people, I grew up loving everything Little Debbie has to offer.  I’ve always had a sweet tooth, so I have eaten my share of Nutty Bars, Swiss Rolls, Zebra cakes, and my absolute favorite, Oatmeal Creme Pies.  It’s funny.  I don’t even really like oatmeal.  But, I have always loved those soft oatmeal cookies, with a hint of spice, sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy vanilla filling.  As good as they are, I knew I could do better.  I found this recipe as I was going through some old issues of Everyday Food and I knew I had to give it a try.  The batter comes together in just a few steps, all of them easy.  The filling is a simple sweetened cream cheese to replace the shortening based frosting of store bought.  The cookies are really soft and the cinnamon and molasses give them great flavor.  So, no.  These are not an exact replica of the oatmeal pies you grew up with.  Nope, they are better.  I just know, as a kid, I would have loved to see one of these cookies in my yellow, plastic Garfield lunchbox. :D

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 13 sandwich cookies ( I got 11)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup golden raisins   I omitted

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

A splash of vanilla   optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown and granulated sugars, and molasses on high, scraping down bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are just set at edges and slightly soft in middle, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets, 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, using mixer, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until light, 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Spread filling on flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.

Source:  Everyday Food September 2010

8 Comments
by Just Baked on May 30, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on May 30, 2012

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Cookies and Cream Whoopie Pies

I have kind of been on whoopie pie kick lately.  The soft cake and the creamy filling put together in a cute little sandwich…I just love them.  I recently made the Flour Bakery Homemade Oreos and it got me thinking… How about combining a whoopie pie and an Oreo?  I mean, since they are both delicious, the combination has to be doubly delicious.  Can you imagine?  I flipped through Whoopie Pies and can you believe there wasn’t a recipe for a cookies and cream whoopie pie?  So, I decided to just make the chocolate cakes from the book and my favorite filling from Martha Stewart, adding crushed Oreos to the filling.  Voila, cookies and cream whoopie pies!  Okay, so maybe this was an obvious choice and not quite the brilliant idea I thought it was.  But, after two failed recipes this morning (so frustrating!), I was so happy come up with these.  And, I can now verify that the combination of the two IS doubly delicious.  In fact, it was so yummy, I decided it needed to be displayed on a pedestal. :D

My husband says the background of this picture reminds him of Willy Wonka’s lickable wallpaper.  Snozzberry anyone?  Winking smile

Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Filling

Yield: 48  2-inch cakes (24 sandwiches)

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening   Use the sticks if you can, so much easier to measure!
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of wax paper. Set aside

In the work bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle, beat together the butter, shortening and brown sugar on low speed until just combined.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and the remaining half of the milk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets; repeat, spacing the rounds at least 2 inches apart. A melon baller makes the perfect sized and shaped 2 inch whoopie.  I got 16 cakes/sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each or until the rounds spring back when pressed gently.  I did a toothpick check. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.  Match them up by size and pipe the filling onto the bottom cookie of each pair. Sandwich them together and enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Filling

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces) marshmallow Fluff

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Oreos- I used 12, but you can use more or less depending on your taste.  Smash them pretty good or it will be hard to pipe (jam up the bag) and you won’t get perfect frosting edges- note this on mine.  Embarrased smile  Now I know for next time…

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add Fluff and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined. Smash up the Oreos into small pieces and fold in with a spatula.

I put the filling into a large Ziploc bag, and cut off the corner, so I could easily pipe the filling onto the bottom cookies.

Source:  Whoopie Pies for the cakes and Martha Stewart for the filling

15 Comments
by Just Baked on February 20, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on February 20, 2012

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Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies

When I made the vanilla whoopie pies yesterday, I also made snickerdoodle whoopie pies.  I just didn’t post them because my pictures turned out terrible.  It’s not easy taking a pretty picture of something that is almost all brown :D   Besides, these were so yummy, they deserved a post all their own.

My husband loves snickerdoodles and he asked me if I could make a snickerdoodle whoopie pie sometime.  Justin rarely makes requests, so I wanted to make these for him.  I looked in my books for a recipe, but I couldn’t find one.   I figured that a snickerdoodle is basically a sugar cookie coated in cinnamon sugar.  So, I could make a vanilla whoopie pie and just sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar for the same effect.  I had Justin taste them to make sure they were what he was looking for.  Well, he ate 8 pies in a half hour, so I guess they were! :D

Usually I send most of what a bake with Justin to school to share with his students.  But, mid-whoopie pie he turns to me and says “These I am not sharing.”  Sorry kids. :(

Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies:

1 recipe vanilla whoopie pie cakes

Cinnamon sugar- I just eyeballed it, heavy on the cinnamon  (If you’re not into eyeballing it, Martha Stewart uses 1/4 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon to coat her snickerdoodles)

1 recipe marshmallow filling

Follow the recipe for vanilla whoopie pies, except before baking, sprinkle the top of the batter liberally with cinnamon sugar.  Bake according to the recipe.

Source:  Vanilla whoopie pies from Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix’ em, Match’em, Eat’em Up Recipes and the marshmallow filling from Martha Stewart

9 Comments
by Just Baked on January 31, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on January 31, 2012

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Vanilla Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies (or gobs) are a popular treat in the Northeast, supposedly originating with the Pennsylvania Amish.  If you ask most people here in the Midwest what a whoopie pie is, unless they are a foodie, you’ll probably get a huh?  Basically it is a small cake, in the shape of a cookie, sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy filling.  What’s so fun about whoopie pies, besides the name :D , is that there are so many different flavor combinations of cakes and fillings.  So far, I’ve made chocolate chip and chocolate cakes and marshmallow and buttercream fillings.  But, how about lemon with lemon mascarpone cream or banana with salted caramel or mocha with tiramisu filling?  So many different whoopie pies to try…. Ahhh, I guess those are for another day.  But, I’ll be sure to share. :D   Today I made vanilla whoopie pies with the traditional marshmallow filling.  I have been making a lot of chocolate desserts lately and I thought it was about time I make something that my husband would enjoy.  I decided to roll them in some red, white, and pink nonpareils to dress them up for Valentine’s Day.  It’s right around the corner.  Are you ready?   If not, here is a super cute, delicious, little hand-held dessert that you can make for your Valentine. I can bet they’re gonna love it!  Mine did!  Red heart

Vanilla Whoopie Pies

Yield: 24 whoopie pies

Whoopie Pie:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds from a vanilla bean (I added about 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste with the extract. Can’t have too much vanilla!)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Sift onto a large piece of wax paper.

In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined. Don’t worry if your batter looks curdled. Mine did, but then came together when I added the rest of the ingredients.

Combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar in a small measuring cup.  With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture.  Beat just until everything is combined.  Add the vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes, until completely combined.

Using a small cookie scoop (1 tbsp) , drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies.   (I got 16 cookies per sheet.)   Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes (start to check at 7 minutes) , or until they are set and just beginning to brown.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow filling ( I used Martha Stewart’s recipe because I prefer butter in the filling to shortening)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 jar (7 1/2 ounces) marshmallow Fluff

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add Fluff and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.  I put the filling into a large Ziploc bag, and cut off the corner, so I could easily pipe the filling onto the bottom cookies.

Source:  Vanilla whoopie pies from Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix’ em, Match’em, Eat’em Up Recipes and the marshmallow filling from Martha Stewart

13 Comments
by Just Baked on January 30, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on January 30, 2012

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Cream Wafers

Okay, so I know Christmas is over. But, I have one last Christmas cookie to share because it is my absolute favorite.  After fulfilling everyone else’s cookie requests, I just didn’t have a chance to make these cream wafers until the last minute on Christmas Eve.  These are cookies from my childhood, the cookies that I made with my mom in preparation for Christmas.  The recipe comes from the super fun 1963 Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.  Yep, going old school. :D I brought some to my mother-in-law’s house for Christmas and they loved them.  But, I was kind of surprised that none of them had ever seen them before.  The wafer part of the cookie reminds me of sugared pie crust.   Kind of like my mom used to make with pie crust scraps, sprinkled with sugar and baked until crisp. Then, they are filled with a sweet, pastel colored buttercream frosting.  Okay, so maybe it is too late for Christmas cookies.  But you can change the shape and the color of the filling to suit any holiday.  I think hearts with pink frosting would be really cute for Valentine’s Day.  If you squish the frosting out a touch on the sides, you could even roll them in sprinkles.  Am I trying too hard to justify making these cookies after Christmas?  Maybe…but these are way too good to be designated Christmas only cookies! :D

Cream Wafers

1 cup butter ( I used softened)

1/3 cup whipping cream (35% butterfat)

2 cups all purpose flour (Gold Medal recommended)

granulated sugar for coating

Measure flour by dipping method (dip cup into flour, pull it up with heaping flour, level off with a spatula).  Mix butter, cream and flour thoroughly in a mixer bowl. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Roll dough to 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured surface.  Cut into 1 1/2″ rounds (or another shape you like).  Transfer to a wax paper heavily sprinkled with sugar, turning to coat both sides very well.  Place on an ungreased sheet- I used parchment paper.  Prick in 4 places with a fork. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until they start to puff and barely brown on the bottoms.  Sandwich two cookies together with the filling.

Frosting

1/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

food coloring if desired

Blend the soft butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixer bowl until well combined. Add tint if desired.  I made my cookies on the small side, so I needed more frosting.  I suggest making 1 and 1/2 recipes of frosting.

Source:  Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book

7 Comments
by Just Baked on December 29, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on December 29, 2011

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Fudge-Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Let me just start off by saying that this recipe comes from a book called big fat cookies.  What a great name for a book!  I love cookies and the bigger, the fatter the better. I was flipping through the book and was in quite a quandary because every recipe looked amazing.  I finally narrowed it down to four, but I just couldn’t decide. So, I did what I usually do when I can’t make a decision and that is make my husband choose for me. Justin picked Fudge-Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies.  If you remember my husband does not like chocolate, but he makes an exception for chocolate chip cookies. Who could blame him? Chocolate chip cookies are just plain delicious. :D

I was surprised to find that these cookies are actually more like a whoopie pie than a typical chocolate chip cookie. The author, Elinor Klivans, adapted the cookie recipe from her mother’s recipe for brown sugar chocolate chip cake, so I guess that stands to reason.  The batter is thinner than your usual chocolate chip cookie and be forewarned, it spreads, a lot.  When the cookies are done baking, they have a golden, almost crisp outer crust and a soft cakey center. You then slather a thick, fudgy frosting on the bottoms and sandwich 2 cookies together, pressing them until just before the frosting oozes from the sides. How bad could that be? :D   My 4 year old daughter, Sammie, told me that they look fabulous and taste scrumptious. Good enough for me!

 Fudge-Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Yield: 12 big fat sandwich cookies

Cookies:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp whole milk

1 1/2 cups (9 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Filling:

1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/3 cups (8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Position rack in middle. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and butter the paper.

To make the cookies: In a mixer bowl, on low speed, mix the flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Add the butter and continue mixing until butter pieces are the size of peas, about 2 minutes (you will still see some loose flour).  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides as needed while mixing. Mix in the egg and vanilla- don’t worry, the batter still looks dry. Add the sour cream and milk, mix until the batter is evenly moistened. You may still see some small pieces of butter. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop about 3 level Tbsps at least 2.5 inches apart onto the prepared sheets. I measured for the first one, but the batter is sticky, so I just eyeballed it for the rest. Try to get as close to the same size, so the cookies bake evenly and match up when making the sandwiches.  The recipe says this can be done on two cookie sheets. I got 8 to a sheet and a few of my cookies spread enough to touch a bit. Bake until the tops feel soft but firm and the edges are slightly brown and crisp, and a toothpick in the center comes out clean, ~17 minutes. I rotated the sheet halfway. Cool the cookies on their sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Filling:

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until it forms little bubbles, 175°F by thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Once the chips soften for ~3o seconds, whisk until the filling is smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes or 20 minutes in the fridge.

Match up the cookies as close as you can by size, and frost the bottom halves and place the remaining cookies on top. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Source:big fat cookies by Elinor Klivans

Helpful Hints:

  • I recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap, individually. I didn’t and they stuck to each other and the bottom of the storage container.
  • I find chocolate chips hard to measure accurately by the cup, so I weigh them. If you have a food scale, it’s really the best and easiest way.
  • Be sure to leave plenty of space between these cookies- they spread!
  • Try to get the dough on the sheets as close in size as possible and try to keep them round, for nicer shaped cookies.
  • Next time I would use less chocolate chips in the cookie because the filling is so chocolatey.  I think mini chocolate chips would be great in these instead.

7 Comments
by Just Baked on November 30, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on November 30, 2011

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