Dark chocolate cookie sandwiches with 3 delicious fillings to choose from
CBC Life | Posted: July 11, 2024 2:00 PM | Last Updated: July 11
Make one or all of Jason Skrobar’s toasted marshmallow, peanut butter bourbon or raspberry cream cheese icings
This “choose-your-own-adventure” recipe comes to us from cookbook author Jason Skrobar’s The Book of Sandwiches. And the adventure begins with a dark chocolate cookie base, to which you can add any of three incredible-sounding fillings: peanut butter bourbon, raspberry cream cheese and toasted marshmallow.
If you want to be able to whip up the cookies any time, Skrobar recommends freezing the dough so it’s all ready to bake. “Shape it into balls, pre-freeze it on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag or container, labelling and dating it,” he told us.
One batch of the cookies is meant to be paired with one batch of whichever filling you choose, he explained. But we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to triple the dough so you can try all of them at once!
Sonia Saves the Day: 1 Cookie, 3 Fillings
By Jason Skrobar
I love this recipe because it’s a sort of choose-your-own-adventure type of recipe. A dark chocolate cookie is the base for all three options, and there are three fillings to choose from — all very different and all very delicious. First, we have the peanut butter bourbon filling. Peanut butter and dark chocolate are old lovers and will always have a place in their hearts for each other. Add bourbon to the mix and you’re asking for trouble! Just kidding, it’s a great addition, but if you’re not into booze, feel free to leave it out.
The raspberry cream cheese filling was a bit of a fluke. When we were shooting the cookbook, I initially had a pumpkin and rum filling instead of this one. But when we put the pumpkin-filled cookie sandwiches next to the peanut butter–filled ones, they were virtually identical, and I knew I needed to make a quick change. Enter my friend Sonia, who was on set helping out that day. With raspberries and cream cheese in hand, she saved the day with filling number two. Simple, but a perfect pairing with these dark chocolate cookies.
Last but not least, the burnt marshmallow. So pretty to have after dinner or at a cookie exchange; serve this version open-faced so everyone can see your beautiful work, or throw another cookie on top to make a proper cookie sandwich. Either way, they are sure to be a hit.
Ingredients
Dark chocolate cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups chopped dark chocolate
- Flaky salt
Peanut butter bourbon filling:
- 4½ oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups icing sugar
Raspberry cream cheese filling:
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 (9 oz/250 g) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Marshmallow filling:
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
First, let’s make the dark chocolate cookies. Place the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, whisk to combine the melted butter, eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Switching to a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until fully incorporated and no flour streaks remain. Fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour.
Position a rack in the centre of the oven, preheat the oven to 350 F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion the dough using a 2 tbsp scoop and placing 6 balls of dough on each baking sheet, spaced evenly, as the cookies will spread when baked. Bake, one tray at a time, until the cookies have developed exquisitely crackled tops, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky salt and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
While the cookies are cooling, you can make the filling — or fillings, if you’re feeling adventurous and decide to make more than one.
For the peanut butter bourbon filling, place all the ingredients except the icing sugar in a large bowl and, using a hand mixer, mix to incorporate. Slowly add the icing sugar, ½ cup at a time, until everything is smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the raspberry filling, place the raspberries and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the berries have broken down and released all of their juices. Add the softened cream cheese and vanilla and process until smooth. Set aside.
For the marshmallow filling, place all the ingredients in a metal or glass mixing bowl fitted over a saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water. While whisking, heat until warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or you can use a mixing bowl and hand mixer. Start at low speed and gradually increase it to high until you have glossy, thick, meringue-like marshmallow.
Once the cookies have cooled and you have the fillings ready, it’s time to make the sandwiches. To assemble the peanut butter bourbon and the raspberry cream cheese options, smear 1–2 tbsp of filling onto half the cookies and sandwich with the remaining cookies on top. For the marshmallow filling, spread 1–2 tbsp of filling onto half of the cookies and then quickly torch the topping, using a kitchen torch. Sandwich the remaining cookies on top. Enjoy!
Makes 15 sandwiches
Excerpted from The Book of Sandwiches by Jason Skrobar. Copyright © 2024 Jason Skrobar. Photographs by Sébastien Dubois-Didcock. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.