Chocolate espresso sandwich cookies

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles Schulz

I've joked several times recently that I think I'm on the verge of becoming addicted to reading food blogs, and though that may be a bit of an exaggeration, it is true that I could easily spend hours perusing the many delectable recipes contained on these sites and dreaming of future baking endeavors. This particular recipe - chocolate espresso sandwich cookies - comes from one such blog that I discovered on the first night of my VIA baking frenzy (a blog to which I'm sure I will be going back frequently for more great recipes). Though these cookies weren't necessarily my favorite, I was told that customers loved them and were asking for the recipe. So, with no further ado, here it is:

Chocolate espresso sandwich cookies

For the filling:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces white chocolate, finally chopped

1/2 teaspoon flavored VIA

For the cookies:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon mocha-flavored VIA

15 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

To make the filling:

1.

In a small saucepan,

bring the cream to boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the white chocolate and VIA

. Make sure all the chocolate is covered by the cream. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk the white chocolate until completely melted.

2. Transfer the filling to a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature. The original recipe says to then cover it and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until a thick consistency is reached, but I forgot to do this both times and it seemed to work out fine. So, either way :) If you do refrigerate the filling and it gets too hard, you can microwave it for a few seconds.

To make the cookies:

1.

Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. The original recipe says to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; as you see, my mixer is a 30+ year-old 3-speed handheld without any special attachments...and it worked just fine. So, whichever type you have, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and mocha-flavored VIA in a large bowl.

With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time. The mixture will have a sandy texture at first and then will begin to form pebble-size pieces. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop the mixer.

3.

Transfer the dough to a board and use the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper to shape the dough into a block about 5 by 7 inches. Cut the block into two pieces.

4.

One at a time, roll each block of dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter (or whatever round object you have on hand; oddly enough, there was not a round cookie cutter to be found in my assortment of shapes, so I had to improvise), cut into 2 inch rounds. Place 1/2 to 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking. Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets for 2-5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.

To assemble the cookies:

1. Place half of the cookies upside-down on a work surface. Whip the filling lightly with a whisk to loosen it. It will lighten in color and fluff up. Don't overwhip or the filling may begin to separate.

2. If you have this/want to be fancy, transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. I just used a teaspoon. Pipe or dollop one teaspoon of filling in the center of each upside-down cookie. Gently, using your fingers, press the cookies together until the filling comes just to the edges.

And there you have it!