Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies
 
Makes 18 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1⁄4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (36 grams) black cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
  • 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1⁄2 cup (110 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg (50 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
  • Vanilla Filling (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together black cocoa and melted butter. Let cool slightly.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and salt at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in cocoa mixture. Add egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add flour, and beat until fully incorporated and a smooth dough forms. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Lightly dust work surface with black cocoa. (Be careful how much cocoa powder you use. It will make the cookies bitter if you incorporate too much. If dough is too difficult to work with, return to refrigerator for another 30 minutes.) Roll dough to 1⁄8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch fluted round cutter, cut dough, rerolling scraps as necessary. Lift and place cookies about 1⁄2 inch apart on prepared pan. (Alternatively, roll dough directly on a nonstick baking mat, cut cookies, remove excess dough, and place on prepared pan.)
  5. Bake until a slight indentation is left when pressed with a finger, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
  6. Place Vanilla Filling in a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip. Pipe Vanilla Filling on flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat side down, on top of filling.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://staging.bakefromscratch.com/black-cocoa-sandwich-cookies/