Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 large egg
Filling:
1 cup + 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
¾ tsp. peppermint extract
2 drops red food coloring
½ cup crushed red-and-white-striped candy canes or hard peppermint candies
Directions
For Cookies: Whisk flour, cocoa and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients; beat until blended. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough by level tablespoonfuls, then roll into small balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Using bottom of a glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2” round (edges will crack).
Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentation appears when tops of cookies are lightly touched - about 11 minutes - do not over bake.
Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate cookies to racks and cool completely.
For Filling: Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add peppermint extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended, adding more food coloring by dropfuls if darker pink is desired.
Spread 2 generous teaspoons of filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie, flat side down, pressing gently to adhere.
Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.
Place crushed candy canes on a plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candies.
Cookie sandwiches can be made ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.
Adapted from BonAppetit. 11/05/2006