Soft chocolate cookies dusted with cinnamon and sugar, and filled with chocolate coffee ganache.
The idea for these cookies came to me while I was thinking about snickerdoodles. The cinnamon sugar is perfect for the holidays, but I wanted a cookie with a little more pizazz. But what to add to them? Coffee and chocolate, of course!
The dough for these cookies is made with cocoa, Kahlua, and cream of tartar. The cocoa is the main flavoring in these cookies and is enhanced by the addition of Kahlua. If you don’t have Kahlua on hand, don’t fret. It can be omitted or replaced with brewed coffee. The cream of tartar gives these cookies a thin crisp exterior, similar to a snickerdoodle.
The only cinnamon for these cookies is on the outside. If you would like a little more spice in your cookie, add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients when mixing the dough.
The cookie dough can be mixed and refrigerated a few days in advance. Allow the dough to soften before baking. If the dough is baked straight from the fridge, the cookies will not spread and will have a dome shape. You can also roll the dough into balls ahead of time, but do not coat it with cinnamon and sugar. The sugar will be absorbed into the dough and will need to be coated again.
The ganache is the source of the coffee flavor for these cookies. I used dark roasted beans to flavor the cream. Grounds can also be used, but they can be difficult to strain out. If they are not all strained out, the ganache will be gritty. Once made, the ganache can be refrigerated to expedite the cooling process but keep an eye on it. The ganache will solidify if left too long. If this happens, let it sit at room temperature until spreadable.
Cinnamon Mocha Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp kahlua or strong coffee
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Coffee Ganache
- 3 tbsp coffee beans
- 1/2+2 cup+tbsp cream
- 7 ounces dark chocolate
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla and kahlua. Mix flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking powder, and soda together. Add the dry mix to the wet and mix.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment or silpat. Scoop 1 tbsp of dough, roll into a ball, and coat it with cinnamon mix. Place the balls on the sheet pan 3 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mix. Allow to cool before filling.
Coffee Ganache
- In a small pot heat cream with the coffee beans until boiling. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes. Place the chocolate in a metal bowl and strain the cream on top. Fill the pot with 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl on top of the pot to finish melting the chocolate. When the chocolate still has 1 or 2 small solid pieces, remove it from the heat. Stir until all of the chocolate has melted and mix in vanilla. Allow mixture to cool until it is spreadable consistency.
- Spread 1 1/2 teaspoon of ganache on half the cookies. Top the ganache with another cookie. Store in an airtight container.
Adding this to our Christmas wish list!