Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies

for our Thanksgiving dinner last week, the desserts were taken care of by other family members, so i didn’t need to bring one. but, y’all know me – i can’t pass up the opportunity to make sweets for a group! i bookmarked these delicious-sounding sandwich cookies a while ago + knew that this was the perfect occasion to make ‘em. you can’t have too many desserts on Thanksgiving, right?

so, how were they? soooo good, definitely one of the top three cookies i’ve ever made. the chocolate cookies are amazing – super soft + almost cake-like, with a rich, deep chocolate flavor. and the mocha buttercream filling is divine – light + fluffy, with a delicious mocha flavor that perfectly complements the rich, complex cookies. put it all together + they are absolute cookie perfection. they get even tastier + softer after a day or two, which makes any leftovers even more delightful. so, if you’re looking for a new cookie to make this holiday season, you must try these!

Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies

makes about 4 dozen cookies, adapted from fine cooking

ingredients

For the Cookies:
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
6 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Mocha Filling:
1 Tbs. instant espresso
4 Tbs.(2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 Tbs. (2 oz.) cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

directions

Make the cookies:

in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, + salt – set aside. with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter + sugars on medium speed until light + fluffy, about 2 minutes. add the egg + vanilla + continue beating until smooth, about 30 seconds. reduce the speed to low + slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until the dough is just combined. divide the dough in half. wrap one half of the dough in plastic + refrigerate.

roll the other half of the dough between two sheets of parchment to an even 1/8-inch thickness. slide the dough onto a cookie sheet + freeze until cold + firm, about 30 minutes. repeat with the remaining dough.

position a rack in the center of the oven + preheat the oven to 350°F. line two cookie sheets with parchment.

using 1-1/2-inch round cookie cutters, cut out the dough + arrange the rounds 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets. if the dough gets too soft, return it to the freezer for a few minutes. carefully press the scraps together, reroll, + cut. Repeat with the other half of the dough, + then gather all the scraps together, reroll, + cut one more time.

bake in batches, two sheets at a time, until the tops look dry, about 6 minutes. let the cookies cool on their pans for a minute + then let them cool completely on racks.

Make the Mocha Filling:

in a small bowl, dissolve the espresso in 2 Tbs. hot water. let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

with a mixer, cream the butter + cream cheese on medium speed until light + smooth, about 1 minute. reduce the speed to low + slowly add half of the sugar, mixing until just combined. add the coffee mixture + vanilla, + mix until just incorporated. gradually mix in the remaining sugar + the cocoa. increase the speed to medium + beat until the filling is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.

to assemble, transfer the cooled cookies to a work surface, flipping half of them over. with an offset spatula or butter knife, spread a thin layer of the filling onto each turned-over cookie. set another cookie on top of each filled cookie, pressing gently to spread the filling.

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