Chocolate Peppermint Creams

Buttery chocolate shortbread cookies filled with soft peppermint cream.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour*
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (85 grams) dutch processed cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (160 grams) sugar
• 2 sticks (225 grams) butter
• if using salted butter 1 teaspoon salt otherwise 1 + 1/2 teaspoons

*if using black cocoa which has been through extra dutch processing and contains less of its own moisture reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons

For the filling:

• 1 + 3/4 cups (200 grams) icing sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• peppermint essence/extract/oil to taste
• food colours as desired (I used Americolor Leaf Green and Super Red)

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Food processor
• Cookie sheets lined with baking paper

Directions:

I told you it would be easy. Put all the dry ingredients in a food processor. No need to sift mwahahahaa.

Process for 30 seconds to combine and work out any lumps. Add the butter and process until a dough forms. *looks around confused* Umm is that it? YUP.

Divide the dough into two and roll each portion out between two sheets of baking paper. Roll out to approx 1/4 inch thick. A little thinner is fine, but you will need to keep an eye on the baking time. Leave the dough between the sheets of paper. Stack them up and pop them in the fridge on a cookie sheet for at least an hour.

When chilling time is up heat the oven to 160C (325F). Peel the top layer of paper off each sheet of dough and go to town with the cutters.

Leave a little bit of room for a spreading but not much. I left less than an inch between cookies on the baking sheets. Before baking each sheet of cookies chill them again for 10 minutes.

Bake for 14-18 minutes depending on thickness and size. The cookies will puff a little during cooking then settle back down flat. They are done when the tops look dry and tiny cracks appear. Touch them gently with a fingertip and make sure there is a little bit of resistance. Your nose will also help you.

Let the cookies cool on the trays for 10 minutes to let them set up before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. While the cookies are cooling make the filling. If you are just going to fill make a single recipe. If you want to pipe decorations as well then double it. It’s waaahaay better to have too much when you are decorating esp. if you are using multiple colours. Beat all the ingredients except the colours together until fluffy. Separate out portions and colour as desired.

When the cookies are cold pair them up ready for filling.

Pipe or spread filling on half the cookies and sandwich together gently with their partners. If your cookies are thin you will need to be more careful.

Pipe decorations onto the finished cookies as desired.

Cook’s Notes:

• The number of cookies you can get will depend on size
• If your house is warm and you find the dough softening as you are cutting out the cookies, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes
• If you use the extra dutch processed cocoa (black cocoa) reduce the flour by 2 tablespoons
• If you are going to pipe decorations, double the recipe for the filling and colour as desired. It is better to have more than you need when decorating than less
• If the cookies are baked a little longer they will take longer to soften on keeping

 – These cookies will be delicious for 3-5 days at room temperature but will slowly soften over time as the moisture from the filling is absorbed into the cookies – 

Adapted from Bouchon Bakery.

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