SANDWICH COOKIES

SANDWICH COOKIES LOOK IMPRESSIVE BUT ARE actually very simple to make. Two thin, crisp cookies are sandwiched together with a little filling. Sandwich cookies are made from an icebox cookie dough that is sliced very thin. We found it necessary to reduce the baking time for these thinner cookies, but otherwise the cookie part of the recipe is the same.

We tested three chocolate fillings. Plain melted chocolate was too runny to use. A chocolate buttercream frosting, made with butter, milk, and confectioners' sugar, was too creamy and soft. A ganache, which is made by stirring chopped chocolate into hot cream, is much simpler to prepare than buttercream and holds its shape better. It also has a very strong chocolate flavor. The ganache will firm up as it cools, so wait until it reaches room temperature before using it to make the sandwich cookies.

Jam is another common filling for sandwich cookies. We found it imperative to use jam that does not have any big chunks of fruit, which will keep the two cookies from coming together properly to form a sandwich. If necessary, you can strain the jam through a mesh sieve to remove pieces of fruit.

Be stingy with the filling. You don't want the filling to ooze out. Also, we found that it is not possible to fill the cookies very far in advance. The filling will make the cookies soggy rather quickly. At most, filled sandwich cookies can be stored for two hours. If you like, you can bake the cookies and keep them in an airtight container for two days before adding the filling.