Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Candycane Buttercream
Rolled in sanding sugar and filled with candycane buttercream, these sparkly sandwich cookies are tailor-made for the winter holidays. The festive treats are the creation of baker and blogger Erin Clarkson, a New Zealander now living in Brooklyn who draws inspiration from the foods and flavors of her homeland and from the farmers’ market. If you’re short on time, you can skip the buttercream filling; the cookies are still delicious and beautiful without it.
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
- 1 3/4 cups (9 oz./280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) black cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (14 oz./440 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) fine red sanding sugar or granulated sugar for rolling
For the candycane buttercream:
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (12 oz./375 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 Tbs. milk
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1 3/4 oz. (50 g) candycanes, finely crushed
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
To make the cookies, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
Place the sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Using about 1 Tbs. dough for each cookie, roll the dough into a ball, then generously coat with the sanding sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. You should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet.
Bake the cookies 1 sheet at a time until they have puffed up and are beginning to crack on top and the edges are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. Repeat to bake the remaining cookies.
To make the buttercream, in the clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the clean flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat on high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add 1 Tbs. of the milk and beat until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes more. If the buttercream needs thinning out, beat in the remaining 1 Tbs. milk. Add the peppermint extract to taste and the crushed candycanes and beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Transfer the buttercream to a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
To assemble, pipe a round of buttercream on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, flat side down, and gently press together. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature just before serving. Makes about 24 sandwich cookies.
Recipe by Erin Clarkson, creator of the blog Cloudy Kitchen
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