Espresso Ganache Sandwich Cookies
Cookies for the holidays...very quintessential. Until you have added some heavy whipped cream and milk chocolate infused with PapaNicholas French Roast espresso beans! Elevate your dessert platter with these delicious and adorable sugar cookies! These cookies can also be a wonderful addition to a Coffee Lovers Gift Box (see journal post for details).
Ingredients:
Sugar Cookie Dough
- 1 c. unsalted butter (226g)
- 3/4 c. powdered sugar (90g)
- 2 c. all purpose flour (240g)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Whipped Espresso Ganache
- 1/4 c. PapaNicholas French Roast Espresso Beans (60g)
- 1 c. heavy whipped cream (226g)
- 1 1/3 c. milk chocolate baking bar (226g)
Instructions:
Sugar Cookie Dough
Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: Add the butter and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl. With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together just until they are combined.
Step 3: Add in the flour and salt, and beat until a cohesive dough forms.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a clean and generously floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is ~¼” thick.
Step 5: If using a cookie stamp, start stamping the designs into the dough, making sure to leave a tiny bit of space between each stamp. After the dough is stamped, use a 3” diameter biscuit cutter to cut out each of the cookies after stamping. (If you are not using a cookie stamp, just cut out 3” cookies!)
Step 6: Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheet. Then, re-roll out the remaining dough and stamp out more cookies.
Step 7: Transfer all of the cookies to the lined baking sheet, and place them in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
Step 8: Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Once the cookies have chilled, evenly space them out on the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1” between each cookie. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Leave the cookies to cool to room temperature before frosting.
Whipped Espresso Ganache
Step 1: Transfer the espresso beans to a sealed plastic bag, and lightly crush them.
Step 2: Add the crushed espresso beans and the heavy whipping cream to a small saucepan. Set the mixture over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Once the mixture is simmering, turn the heat off and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Break up the milk chocolate baking bar into small chunks and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Once the cream has set for 5 minutes, put it back on medium heat. When the mixture starts to simmer again, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve over the chocolate.
Step 5: Cover the bowl with a lid or plate. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute, then whisk the ingredients together until you have a smooth ganache.
Step 6: Transfer the ganache to the freezer, and stir every 5-10 minutes until it has significantly thickened up.
Step 7: Once the ganache has cooled and thickened, use a hand mixer to whip up the mixture until it is fluffy and has lightened in color.
Step 8: Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice, and pipe it onto half of the cookies.
Step 9: Sandwich the cookies, serve, and enjoy! Don’t forget to snap a pic & tag #papanicholascoffee