Baked goods are starting to feature more prominently on this blog. Blame the KitchenAid. I have no idea how long it will last. I'm just glad I've had some willing recipients at my workplace and David's. This recipe was the choice of my 12 year old niece who came for a visit last weekend. The girl is a fiend for chocolate. Always has been. Oddly it was a word she took some time to master. I recall trips to Ben & Jerry's on Haight St. when she was just a little thing.
"What flavor would you like?"
"Brown" (said with utmost solemnity)
"Chocolate?"
"No. Brown"
Fast forward to now and she will still pick the chocolate something above anything else. This recipe is from another library loaner. I had put it on the shelf with my other cookbooks and wondered if she'd notice it while she and her mom pottered about in our apartment while I was at work. Sure enough, when I got home later that day her first words to me were "I saw the BOOK!" "The big fat cookie book?" I said. "Yes, and we are SO making those chocolate chip cookie sandwiches on the cover!"
So we did.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches
Cookies:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Filling:
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, mix the flour, brown sugar and baking soda to blend. Add the butter and continue mixing until the butter pieces are the size of peas, about 2 minutes; you will still see some loose flour. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in the egg and vanilla. The batter will still look dry. Mix in the sour cream and milk until the batter looks evenly moistened. You may still see lumps of butter. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough at least 2 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time, until the tops feel soft but firm, the edges are lightly browned and crisp, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes.
4. Cook the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. In a medium saucepan, beat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter melts. The hot cream mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175 degrees F. on a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate chips, and let them site in the mixture for about 30 seconds to soften. Whisk the filling until it is smooth and all of the chocolate is melted.
6. Pour the filling into a medium bowl and let it sit at room temperature until thick enough to cling to the cookies, about 45 minutes. Or refrigerate it until it thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
7. Turn half of the cookies bottom side up. Leaving an 1/8 inch plain edge, spread the filling over the bottoms of the cookies. If the filling is not thick and firm, let the cookies sit until it firms up before adding the top cookie. Gently place the remaining cookies bottom side down on top of the chocolate filling.
Cookies can be stored individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a tightly sealed tin at room temperature, or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cook's Notes
1. These were perfect. Ours didn't look quite as good as the ones in the picture, but they tasted wonderful. The sour cream gave the cookies a cake-like texture and thank god for the employees at a post-production facility in Hollywood, otherwise all that texture would be sitting on my ass.
2. Can I just say how much I love a recipe that offers the reassurance this one did? "You will still see loose flour" and "The dough will look dry" or "You may see lumps of butter". These are just the details I would fuss over, worrying that I had somehow screwed it up. I might have to buy this book. Thank you Elinor Klivins.
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