Brown Sugar Sandwich Cookies Recipe
Chocolate stuffed sandwich cookie recipe made with a poppy-flecked brown sugar dough.
My intention was to bring a little baggie of these snappy, chocolate-stuffed sandwich cookies on the plane to Philadelphia last week. Unfortunately, I ran out of time (having clean clothes trumped having cookies this time around) and had to wait until after my trip to bake them off. That being said, they are an effective travel tool, perfect for establishing goodwill with the stranger(s) sitting next to you. The poppy-flecked, brown sugar dough has a mellow sweetness, and it is my feeling that the butter browns just enough in the oven to bring the flavors together full circle. The chocolate functions as binding bridge between two wafer-thin coins.
There are a couple tricks to making these cookies extra good. The first is simple - roll the dough out very, very thin. Not parchment thin, but certainly Saltine cracker thin. The resulting cookies will be crisp, elegant, and lovely to look at. You want just a bit of chocolate sandwiched between just a bit of cookie. Too much cookie and the ratio gets thrown off.
The second important thing to be (particularly) mindful of is the baking time. You want the cookies to bake until they are beautifully golden, particularly on the bottom edges where the cookies meet the baking sheet. Don't turn your back, cookies this thin will go from blond to burned in a heartbeat.
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Brown Sugar Sandwich Cookie Recipe
Feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour, spelt flour might work as well although I haven't tested it in this recipe. I also think these cookies might be great with some sort of spice infusion, but haven't played around with that angle yet either. I like to use this sugar - but you can substitute whatever fine-grain brown sugar you have on hand.
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup good-quality brown sugar / natural cane sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk1 tablespoon big flaky sea salt (optional)
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional)
6-7 ounces dark chocolate, choppedspecial equipment: a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter
Preheat oven to 350 - racks in the top 1/3 of the oven.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside. In a separate bowl, either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is fluffy and creamy. Add the sugar and mix some more, scraping the sides of the bowl once along the way. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract, scraping the sides again if needed. Being careful not to over-mix, stir in the flour mixture by hand. If the dough is on the dry side stir in the milk as well. Turn the dough out onto the counter-top, kneed it once or twice (just so it comes together) and form one large ball. Cut the dough into four quarters, then shape each piece into a ball. Flatten each of the four balls into 1/2-inch thick pancakes, and wrap each piece individually in plastic before chilling in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour.
Roll out the dough thin as can be on a lightly floured surface - wafer thin, about 1/8-inch, and stamp out using the cookie cutter. Arrange cookies 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets before sprinkling with a small pinch of salt and sugar. Bake for about seven minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet or until the cookie edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.
When you are ready to assemble the cookies, place the chocolate in a double boiler (or a bowl placed over a bit of simmering water) to melt. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate onto the center of the flat side of one cookie. Top with another cookie - matching flat side to flat side. Repeat with the remaining cookies, setting them aside to let the chocolate set.
Makes 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch sandwich cookies.
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A great recipe when do you get time to sleep. Regards from the U K.
These look decadent. I would love to make these! Maybe a slice and bake method for me though, I'm too impatient to roll out and use cookie cutters! I did the slice and bake with your thin mint recipe and it worked well. Thanks for sharing!
They look delish- but one tablespoon of vanilla? Sounds like a lot, usually a teaspoon is called for, no? HS: I used a tablespoon this time around :)
AMAZING, Loved the poppy seed addition
These sound so good! Where can you find raw brown sugar? I don't think I've seen it before... HS: Hi Amy, I'll update the recipe with some links. The sugar I like best for baking right now is the Alter-Eco Unrefined Ground Cane Sugar. It's available via Amazon in bulk as well.
ooooh! these look amazing. I bet they'd be delicious with cardamom. Can't wait to try them!
I like sandwich cookies and the way you present these makes me want one right now! I like that you used poppy seeds, it give it that pretty spec appearence. On the sandwich cookie front, I created a raw vegan recipe Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies using sprouted quinoa. Thank you for another lovely post and recipe.
I'm not normally a huge fan of poppy seeds, however the idea of combining them with chocolate just might change my mind. I can't wait to give these a try! Thanks for the great post & pictures.
These are lovely! I'm going to try them this weekend. One question, though -- could I use milk chocolate? I'm not a dark chocolate person, but perhaps milk chocolate would make it too sweet? HS: No, go for it - whatever type of chocolate you like. I bet some shaved chocolate in the dough would be nice too - but not chunks though (would make it challenging to roll out thin)...
Beautiful! I'm definitely giving these a try, but replacing the poppyseeds with crushed earl gray tea leaves. HS: That sounds great. Let me know how it goes!
Heidi these look amazing. I bet a little cayenne in the chocolate would add something special too.
Mmmm...I want one right now! Can't wait to make them.
these reminds me of cookies from this french bakery (in paris and london) called Poilaine. delish!!
Ahh, tood bad you had to wait until after your trip to Philly, to bake/enjoy those delightful sandwich cookies - but hey, they were definitely well-worth the wait, right? :0)
It's like cookies all grown up. I love your recipes because they show that using natural ingredients doesn't just mean granola or hippie food! These look absolutely beautiful and I'd love to try them with some kind of chili spices. HS: Thanks Michelle!
I'm going to try these with a little anise extract. Yum!
yummy, sea salt,chocolate and brown sugar!! Can't wait to make these!!
These are so cute! I love the addition of poppy seeds - seems unexpected but intriguing at the same time.
They look adorable, you really have a flare for presentation.
They look so professional...
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