Chocolate sandwiches

Versión Española

Chocolate-chocolate-chocolate! That's the easiest description of these cookies: mini-sandwiches made of chocolate biscuits with chocolate cream. A special recipy for chocolate lovers: they are simply de-li-cious!

I've made this recipe a couple of times, always with the same success. It's true that it takes a couple of hours to make them (first preparing the dough, refrigerating it, then baking them, preparing the filling, filling the cookies...) but every minute spent baking them is worth. These cookies are cute and very very tasty. I'd say that, inside a nice box, they would make a perfect present for an special friend...

Before we start:

• Difficulty: medium
  
• Preparation time: 25 min + 30 min (refrigeration)
  
• Cooking time: 10 minutes per tray (I used 3 trays)
  
• Cost: cheap
• Origin: International
  
• Recipe obtained from: Home baked, "Choc-hazelnut cookie sandwiches"

Ingredients (makes 30):

80g butter, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
55g caster sugar
1 egg
50g hazelnut meal
110g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
Icing sugar and/or cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Filling:
100g dark eating chocolate
50g butter
110g Nutella


Preparation:

• Beat butter, extract, sugar and egg in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  
• Stir in hazelnut meal, sifted flour and cocoa powder.
  
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm.
  
• Roll dough until 3mm thick. This is easily done if placing the dough between sheets of baking paper.
  
• Using 4cm-fluted cutter, cut rounds from dough.
• Re-roll dough as many times as necessary to use it all.
  
• Place rounds on trays covered with baking paper.
  
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 180-190ºC for 8 minutes.
  
• Stand biscuits on trays 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
  
• Prepare the filling: melt the chocolate and let it cool; beat cooled chocolate, butter and Nutella in a small bowl with electric mixer until thick and glossy.
  
• Spoon filling into piping bag fitted with large fluted tube. Pipe cream onto one biscuit, then close the sandwich with another biscuit. Repeat with remaining biscuits and cream. Do not be afraid of piping too much filling, there is enough for all the cookies.
  
• Sandwiches can be dusted with icing sugar or cocoa powder if desired.
• Let the filling get thick before serving.
  

Comments:

First time I made these cookies I used almond meal instead of hazelnut meal (because I realised too late that I didn't have any hazelnut meal at home).They are not bad, but they are better with hazelnut!

If you don't know how to use a piping bag, fill the sandwiches with a spoon. They will be as cute, but they will be as tasty!

According to the book, biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.