Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Ganache excerpted from Stuffed: The Sandwich Cookie Book is available by Heather Mubarak.
Ice cream sandwiches, whoopie pies, macarons, homemade Oreos—this irresistible baking book has recipes for all these delicious sandwich cookies and plenty more.
From Browned Butter Blondie blog creator Heather Mubarak, Stuffed features 65 mix-and-match cookie sandwiches for every occasion and craving, including both sweet and savoury bakes that range from childhood classics with a twist (Nutter Butters! Chipwiches!) to sophisticated, party-ready treats (Strawberry Shortcake Macarons, Parmesan Polenta Crackers with Chive Cream Cheese). A whole chapter dedicated to swirly buttercreams, smooth ganache, fruity jams, and more lets you experiment with different cookie-filling pairings to your heart’s content. Or leave out the filling altogether for a super simple bake—the possibilities are endless! Home bakers of all levels will appreciate the flexible, choose-your-own-adventure format, while fans of Snacking Cakes, Dessert Person, and 100 Cookies will delight in a new trove of crave-worthy recipes. In a chunky package with a puffy case and a photo of every cookie sandwich, this book is stuffed with all the cookie recipes you’ll ever need.
EVERYONE LOVES COOKIES! Cookies are easy to bake and they’re delicious. They’re the perfect weeknight activity/dessert, a top seller at bake sales, a holiday favourite, and an all-around crowd-pleaser. This book offers 65 original recipes that feature not one, but TWO cookies apiece. More is more!
GREAT VALUE: Stuffed offers great overall value: 65 cookie sandwich recipes with recommended fillings + more than 30 filling recipes (frostings, jams, ice creams, curds, ganaches) in a separate chapter = endless possibilities for variation. Home bakers can follow the recipe exactly, mix and match cookies and fillings, or skip the filling altogether. With more than 80 photos, including a photo of every cookie sandwich, Stuffed delivers a lot of delicious bang for your buck.
BUZZWORTHY AUTHOR: Heather is the creator of Browned Butter Blondie, a popular baking blog whose Instagram was named by BuzzFeed as one of the “30 Best Instagram Food Accounts You Should Be Following” alongside Nik Sharma’s, Smitten Kitchen’s, Molly Yeh’s, and others.’ She’s a serious, experienced baker known for delicious recipes and beautifully styled photos. Her first book reflects all of this: well-tested, indulgent bakes with tons of gorgeous visuals to feast your eyes on.
UNIQUE OFFERING: Despite the numerous cookie recipe books on the market, the sandwich cookie angle has never been done before. Unique in its versatility, Stuffed makes an excellent gift for home bakers no matter how many baking books they already own—you can be sure they don’t have anything like this!
Perfect for:
- Cookie lovers of all ages
- Home bakers of all levels: recipes are accessible and flexible, allowing for experimentation
- Fans of Dorie’s Cookies, 100 Cookies, Snacking Cakes, Dessert Person, or Zoë Bakes Cakes
- Followers of the Browned Butter Blondie blog or Instagram account
- Shoppers looking for a fun birthday, hostess, or holiday gift alongside a baking utensil, apron, or bars of chocolate
Stuffed: The Sandwich Cookie Book
Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Ganache
This, my friends, is the holiday cookie of my dreams. Baked with Dutch cocoa and a hint of molasses, these cookies are big and chewy and filled with all the warm, cozy gingerbread spices we look forward to the other eleven months of the year. Rolled in sugar and baked to perfection with no chilling time, this twist on the Christmas classic will be a fast favourite among traditional gingerbread lovers. I could go on and on about how delicious these cookies are, but you really should drop everything and see for yourself.
MAKES
8 to 10 large cookie sandwiches
CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIES
2 cups [250 g] all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
½ cup [40 g] Dutch-process cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup [170 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup [100 g] granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup [100 g] for rolling
½ cup [100 g] dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup [105 g] molasses (not blackstrap)
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR ASSEMBLY
1 recipe Chocolate Ganache (see below)
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F [165°C]. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ½ cup of granulated sugar, and the brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the molasses and mix on medium-low speed to combine. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Mix on low speed only until incorporated. A few streaks of flour remaining is okay. Do not overmix the dough.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to give the dough one last stir, making sure to scrape down the bottom of the bowl.
Place the remaining ½ cup [100 g] of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and use your hands to shape the dough into a smooth ball. Roll the cookie in the bowl of sugar until all sides are generously covered.
Continue scooping and rolling, placing the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, 3 in [7.5 cm] apart. The cookies will spread as they bake.
Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed up and have cracks on top. The edges should be set. Do not overbake, or the cookies will be crispy instead of chewy.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before using a spatula to carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will deflate as they cool. Top with a sprinkle of granulated sugar if desired.
TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIE SANDWICHES
Flip half of the cookies over so they’re flat-side up. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the Chocolate Ganache onto the flat side of the flipped-over cookies. Top each with a second cookie, flat-side down, and gently press together to form a sandwich. Store the cookies for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Once the cookie sandwiches are assembled, they should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 days.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
MAKES 2/3 CUP [170 G]
4 oz [115 g] chocolate, finely chopped (see Note)
1/3 cup [80 ml] heavy cream
Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the heavy cream until simmering. Do not let it boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to thicken to a spreadable consistency.
Use immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Note: For this recipe, you can use bittersweet, milk, or white chocolate.
Add 1/8 teaspoon mint extract to the bowl of hot cream and chocolate before mixing smooth. Note that extracts vary in strength, so adjust to taste.
Add the zest of one orange to the bowl of hot cream and chocolate before mixing smooth.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books.