The first KBB for this year with chocolate theme. It’s quiet challenging since there were some severals steps that was needed to be done. First you need to make the cookie dough then refrigerate it for several hours. While you’re waiting you could make the mud cake and ganache. After finishing those two finally you could bake the cookies and assemble them.
My cookies turned out to be perfect, they didn’t become wide when I baked them. The key to successful cookies making that you shouldn’t whisk the butter and sugar for too long, just enough until they mix for 2-3 minutes. On the other hand the pan size of the mud cake as mentioned by some fellow KBB-ers, needed to be changed to a smaller one indeed. I did just so to avoid the mud cake becoming too dry and thin, but as a result I got a thicker mud cake. It would be ok if the purpose was just for eating but for this the mud cake was meant as a filling between two cookies. Thus the sandwich name. However I found simple solution, just by cutting them first with a cookie cutter with the same size as the cookie and then again slice them horizontally into two. Sandwich between two cookies with ganache as “the glue”, hmm it was a superb cookies I must say (or we must say as there were some people sampling these yummy treats). My husband even say that it was way better than that famous chocolate cookies sandwich (you must know which famouse cookies sandwich he meant ^_* )
So don’t be discouraged by the long title and process, it was simply worth it.
Cookies
– 250g butter, softened
– 330g firmly packed brown sugar (I reduced to 260 gr)
– 2 eggs
– 450g plain flour (I reduced to 400 g)
– 75g self-raising flour
– 50g cocoa powder
– 2 Tbs cocoa powder, extra
– Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until combined.
– Transfer mixture to large bowl; stir in sifted flours and cocoa, in two batches.
– Knead dough on floured surface until smooth; divide in half, roll each portion between sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick.
– Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes. (I refrigerated longer, approx 1 hour)
Chocolate Mud Cake
– 150g butter, chopped
– 100g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
– 220g caster sugar (I reduced to 180 g)
– 125ml water
– 2 Tbs coffee liqueur
– 150g plain flour
– 2 Tbs cocoa powder
– 2 egg yolks
– Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, the water and liqueur in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth.
– Place mixture in medium bowl; cool 10 minutes. Whisk in sifted flour and cocoa, then egg yolks. Bake about 25 minutes.
– Cool cakes in pans. Using 6.5cm round cutter, (I used 5cm cookie cutter) cut 12 rounds from each cake.
Chocolate Ganache
– 80ml cream
– 200g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
– Bring cream to a boil in small saucepan; remove from heat.
– Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Refrigerate until spreadable.
Finishing
– Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan-forced. Grease two 20cm x 30cm lamington pans (I used 22 cm x 22 cm pan); line with a strip of baking paper, extending paper 2cm above edges of pans.
– Make chocolate mud cake. (I sliced the mud cake into two pieces after cutting them with 5 cm cookie cutter)
– Make chocolate ganache.
– Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease oven trays; line with baking paper.
– Using 6.5cm round cutter (I used 5cm cookie cutter), cut 48 rounds from the cookie dough. Place about 3cm apart on oven trays. Bake about 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
– Spread ganache onto underside of cookies; sandwich a mud cake round between two cookies.
– Using heart template, dust cookies with extra cocoa.
PS: Since I took the photo the day after I made it (due to lack of the sun in winter), I completely forgotten about the dusting the cookie with heart template, so forgive me.
Excellent, i love it Bravo