Cookie Sandwiches

The scrumptious people at Sasko Flour asked me to come up with something delectable for Valentines Day. Cookie Sandwiches are a big baking trend at the moment and are a seriously indulgent way to say 'I think you're bloomin awesome'. I have created 3 recipes; Chocolate Chip and Ice Cream, Carrot and Cinnamon with Orange buttercream and Chocolate Brownie and Peanut butter buttercream. I have no doubt you'll find one that tickles your fancy.

Chocolate Chip and Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients: (makes 30 cookies, 15 sandwiches)

125g butter (at room temp)

150g sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

150g Sasko Cake Flour

Pinch of salt

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g/1 cup chocolate chips/chopped dark chocolate

1 litre vanilla ice cream

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C.

Grease and line 2 large baking trays.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and thick, add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Sift the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients as well as the chocolate chips and fold together until you have a thick cookie dough.

Spoon dollops of the cookie dough into your palms, roll into balls about the size of large marbles and place on the baking sheets at least 5 centimetres apart as they will spread as they bake.

Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes – they should still be slightly gooey in the middle when you take them out of the oven.

Allow to cool slightly before taking off the baking paper and transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.

To assemble:

Make the cookie sandwiches by spooning and then spreading generous amounts of ice cream onto half of the cookies then seal them using the remaining half of the cookies.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer until needed.

Tip 1: If your dough is too sticky and you are having trouble rolling it into balls, simply pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes, this will stiffen the dough and make it more manageable.

Tip 2: Cookie dough freezes incredibly well so why not make extra or make it in advance, roll into a cylinder and seal tightly with cling wrap and place in an airtight container or bag. It will keep in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.

Variation: You could use 75 grams of white chocolate and 75 grams of dark chocolate for double chocolate indulgence.

Carrot and cinnamon cookie sandwiches with orange buttercream

Ingredients: (makes 24-30 cookies, 12-15 cookie sandwiches)

120g butter

120g sugar

180g Sasko Cake Flour

1 tbsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking powder

1 tbsp golden syrup

80g grated carrot

Orange buttercream:

75g butter (at room temp)

150g icing sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tsp orange zest (finely grated)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C

Grease and line 2 large baking trays.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and thick.

Sift the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients as well as the carrot and syrup to the egg mixture and fold together until you have a thick cookie dough.

Spoon dollops of the cookie dough into your palms, roll into balls about the size of large marbles and place on the baking sheet at least 5 centimetres apart as they will spread as they bake. Using a fork, press down gently on each of the balls to flatten them slightly before baking.

Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes – they should still be slightly browned when you take them out of the oven,

Allow to cool slightly before taking off the baking paper and transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.

For the orange buttercream:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the icing sugar in bowl on low spread until combined, then up the speed to medium and beat until thick and light in colour.

Add the orange zest and juice and beat for a further minute on medium until you have a smooth, soft, silky icing.

To assemble:

Make the cookie sandwiches by spreading/piping a little of the icing onto half of the cookies and then seal them with the remaining half of the biscuits.

Store in an airtight container.

Tip 1: If you want to make twice as many cookies simply double the recipe.

Tip 2: If your butter is straight from the fridge and very hard: you can grate it or cut it into cubes in a bowl which will shorten the time it takes to soften and come to room temperature.

Variation: You could add 1 tsp of ground ginger to the dry ingredients for a more robust flavour.

Chocolate brownie cookie sandwiches with peanut butter cream filling

Ingredients: (Makes 30 cookies, 15 sandwiches)

80g butter

120g dark chocolate (chopped)

100g sugar

2 eggs (at room temp)

40g cocoa

60g Sasko Cake Flour

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

Peanut butter cream icing:

75g butter (at room temp)

150g icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

80g peanut butter

Method:

Heat butter in a bowl and add chocolate, stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric beater until light and thick (approx 3-4 minutes).

Sift the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients as well as the chocolate/butter mix to the egg and sugar and beat until you have a smooth, thick batter.

Put it into the fridge for 30min-1hour, until it has formed a stiff enough cookie dough to shape into balls.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C

Grease and line 2 large baking trays.

Spoon dollops of the cookie dough into your palms, roll into balls about the size of  large marbles and place on the baking sheets at least 5 centimetres apart as they will spread as they bake.

Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes – they should still be slightly gooey in the middle when you take them out of the oven,

Allow to cool slightly before taking off the baking paper and transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.

To make the icing:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the icing sugar in bowl on low spread until combined, then up the speed to medium and beat until thick and light in colour.

Add the peanut butter and milk and beat for a further minute or two on medium until you have a smooth, soft, silky icing.

To assemble:

Make the cookie sandwiches by spreading a little of the icing onto half of the cookies and then seal them with the remaining half of the biscuits.

Store in an airtight container.

Tip 1: Although butter is the best fat to use for flavour, margarine can also be used – but choose a margarine that is hard and labelled for baking as soft margarines contain water which can affect the consistency of the dough.

Tip 2: Place the dough balls on cold baking trays to prevent excess spreading.

Tip 3: If baking two trays of cookies at the same time don’t place them directly on top of one another as the cookies on the tray underneath will not brown, leave a good space between them – you can always swap the trays around half way through cooking.