12 Days of Cookies: A Displaced Housewife’s Tai Tai’s Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

This year, we found the best cookies on the web for our 12 Days of Cookies, with today’s cookie being the Displace Housewife’s Tai Tai’s Peppermint Sandwich Cookies.

 

The Baker: Rebecca Firth is the author of The Cookie Book and founder of the blog, DisplacedHousewife, where she shares fast, easy, and sometimes healthy recipes. 

 

Why We Love It: Rebecca’s Tai Tai’s Peppermint Sandwich Cookies are reminiscent of whoopie pies, but with just a little more cookie texture along with some seasonal peppermint flavor. 

 

Tai Tai’s Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

 

Ingredients

 

For the cookies:

• 1 3/4 cups (6 3/4 oz./315 g) coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./118 ml) sunflower seed oil or other neutral oil
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (5 oz./158 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (4 3/4 oz./144 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup (4 1/4 oz./136 g) bread flour
• 3/4 cup (3 1/2 oz./103 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (3/4 oz./21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (8 3/4 oz./270 g) dark or semisweet chocolate chip
  

For the peppermint cream:

• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 oz./115 g) vegetable shortening
• 3 1/2 cups (14 1/2 oz./455 g) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 3 Tbs. milk
• 1/2 cup (3 3/4 oz./116 g) finely crushed peppermint candies (about 8 medium-size candy canes)

Directions

 

1. To make the cookies, in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, or in a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the oil. Stir the chocolate to smooth out any chunks. Sometimes the mixture will look chunky, but if you give it 20 or so stirs, you’ll get rid of all the chunks without overheating it. If using a double boiler, transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Let cool slightly and then whisk in the eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla.

 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until the dough is just starting to come together. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just barely combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 

3. Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

4. Using 1 Tbs. dough for each cookie, gently roll into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Try to make the dough balls as spherical as possible and equal in size so they will pair up nicely when smooshing the peppermint cream between them.

 

5. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, for 8 minutes. You want to slightly underbake them. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks and let cool completely.

 

6. Meanwhile, make the peppermint cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and shortening on medium-low speed until well blended. Add the confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract and milk and beat until nice and creamy. Add the peppermint candies and beat until evenly distributed throughout the cream.

 

7. Pair up cookies that are of equal size. Give a generous (I mean it) smear of peppermint cream on the flat side of 1 cookie and smash another cookie, flat side down, on top. If you want them to look nice and tidy, run a finger around the outside of the cream to smooth it out. Makes about 20 cookie sandwiches.

Follow along on our blog for 12 days of Christmas cookies, and head to our Holiday Headquarters for more recipes, gift ideas, and supplies for all your holiday entertaining needs. Get the Displaced Housewife’s Cookie Book here.