#38. Chocolate-Covered Halloween Sandwich Cookies

This blog post not sponsored by Nabisco.

I’m old enough to remember a time in which the only “limited edition” Oreos available were those that emerged in mid-September double-stuffed with orange (in color never in flavor) creme.

Orange is my favorite hue and Halloween, my favorite holiday. How could I not lust after these heavily processed yet insanely delicious cookies?

Each year I purchase a family-size package (hey, I have a husband and two cats—that counts as a clan) and nosh all month long. This year, I put aside a few cookies to make some chocolate-covered cookie sammies. Hey, not every recipe has to involve a lot of heavy-lifting.

Ingredients

• Halloween Oreos (or generic Halloween-theme chocolate cookie sandwiches if you have no soul)

• Melting chocolate (chocolate chips or bar)

• Halloween sprinkles

Directions

1. Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.

2. Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals. Make sure bowl is absolutely devoid of any water or else chocolate will ‘seize up’ and fail to melt smoothly.

3. Dunk Halloween Oreos one by one in melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

4. Decorate immediately with theme sprinkles.

5. Cool in fridge until chocolate is hardened.

#23. Fluffernutter Sandwich Cookies

I'm kicking it old-school and keeping it simple, folks, with this post, because I'm leaving for vacation soon and running around like a factory farm chicken with its head cut off. I need fuel and nothing fancy, so I channeled my love of the classic fluffernutter sandwich into cookie form.

When I return, I will be taking it to eleven with regards to cookie complexity in order to compensate, so hold onto your butts.

Ingredients

• Even number of round sugar cookies. You can cheat with store-bought dough or use this terrific recipe.

• Marshmallow Fluff (only the good stuff in the jar with the red top)

• Creamy Peanut Butter

Directions

1. Spread a thick layer of marshmallow fluff on underside of one sugar cookie.

2. Spread equally thick layer of peanut butter on underside of matching sugar cookie.

3. Marry the two undersides to form sandwich. 

4. Enjoy with a very cold glass of milk.

#13. Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

St. Patrick's Day is fast approaching and as a woman of second-generation Irish descent it is my cultural duty to consume as many green things as possible in the days approaching March 17th. Tinging cookies simply with some food coloring is a cheap trick, but one, I think, made more forgivable if the the source of the flavor of your baked goods is naturally green.  Like mint!

This is why I give zero fucks about coaxing an emerald hue out of the frosting for these cookies via a few drops of McCormick food coloring. 

And for all the omadhauns who will cry foul at this post for its lack of 'authenticity' when it comes to a 'real' Irish cookie, look for my #14 post.

Ingredients (Cookies)

• 1 cup  flour

• 1/4 cup baking cocoa

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients (Frosting)

• 4 cups powdered sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1 tsp mint extract

• 4 tbs milk

Save some for the sandwiches!!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside

3. In a separate (larger bowl), cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with hand-held mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

4. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture until thoroughly incorporated.

5. Drop equal-size scoops of dough evenly apart on sheets. Using an ice cream scoop really helps! Place in oven and bake approximately 17 minutes until surface is a bit wrinkly and cookies are only slightly soft to touch.

6. Transfer cookies from sheets to cooling racks. Cool thoroughly. If not, you will be very sorry.

7. In a medium bowl, beat 2 cups of powdered sugar with butter until creamy. Add salt and mint extract until thoroughly combined.

8. Add remaining (2 cups) of powdered sugar and milk, mixing well.

9. When your cookies have cooled sufficiently, place approximately 1 tablespoon of frosting on underside of one cookie. Top with another cookie. It's really not that hard.

10. Repeat for as many cookie sandwiches you desire. Consume any excess frosting as a 'snack' to tide you over before a cheeseburger dinner.

#8. Peanut Butter Coconut Sandwich Cookies

It's so hard to say goodbye...to my giant roll of Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough. But this day had to come because even processed dough has a shelf life. I was very pleased with how my PB S'mores Cookies turned out, and the classic Peanut Butter Blossoms failed to disappoint.

I knew I wanted to experiment with sandwich cookies for my final recipe and just slathering some grape or strawberry jelly in between two cookies was too lazy even for me. Some sort of sugar fruit pairing seemed appropriate, but I also wanted to test the potential compatibility of peanuts with coconut, which are infrequent bedfellows in the Western baking world. (South Asian savory fare: an entirely different story.)

And Jimmies, because, why not?

Ingredients

• 1/3  roll Pillsbury™ refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

• 1/2 cup sprinkles

• 3/4 cup shredded coconut

• 3/4 cup (or so) cherry pie fillings

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Using a spatula, combine dough with sprinkles and shredded coconut.

3. Shape dough into an even number of balls. 

4. On ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, place balls 2 inches apart.

5. Bake 9-13 minutes until golden brown. COOL COMPLETELY.

6. Top underside of one cookie with approximately 1 Tablespoon of cherry pie filling. Top with another cookie to form sandwich.*

*If you can't handle this instruction, you probably should not be allowed to use an oven.

I found the coconut added a certain cream flavor that complemented the slightly tart cherries and balanced the strong peanut taste, akin to how that cool glass of milk pleasantly tempers a a thick peanut butter sandwich.  

In my Marvel movie, I am the Queen of the Universe and only my opinion matters. Barring the release of that film, I want to hear what you think. Honesty is welcome. Alternative facts are not.

#4. Vanilla Rose Cookies With Rose Creme Filling

A while ago a dear friend gifted me this baking cookbook and only just now am I digging into all the marvelous recipes for cookies, bars, etc. The book's recipe for rosewater cream sandwich cookies caught my eye immediately given my burgeoning obsession with this ingredient, which I use often in making Syrian desserts.

When making this recipe, I detected a small error, namely that the amount of powdered sugar prescribed in the  recipe produces a filling more akin to a glaze than an icing. Perhaps, actually, the proportion is intentional, but for the purposes of making cookie sandwiches, you really need a sturdier, thicker inner adhesive. Thus, I have adjusted the amounts of sugar and rosewater below.  The resulting cookie is most, fragrant, slightly sweet and perfect with Earl Grey tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter (softened)

• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (plus extra to coat 

• 4 cups flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

• 3 tsp rose water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar.

4. Stir in flour and salt gradually.

5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Form dough into balls (as large or small as you want your sandwiches) and roll balls lightly in remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.

7. Bake until the lightest of brown (12-18 min). Cool completely.

8. Blend cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and rose water.

9. Mete out icing between two cookies for sandwiches. I'm sure you can figure it out.