Chocolaty Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I felt the need to call these Chocolaty Chocolate Sandwich Cookies because they are intensely, mouthfillingly chocolaty  (oh, adverbs, how wonderfully hyperbolic you can be).  At any rate, I took them in to work and everyone said "what kind of cookies are these?" and I said "CHOCOLATY!!"  To which they replied "Yes, but what are they CALLED?"  I never knew that cookies relied so heavily on being named.  But, if you must know, these are from the Donna Hay Entertaining cookbook, and they are technically called "Chocolate Shortbread Sandwiches."  I enjoy the Donna Hay cookbooks because her recipes never call for a lot of ingredients; everything is relatively simple to make, and the dishes typically turn out as they should.  It's not like a Martha recipe.  I love you, Martha, please don't be offended - I just think you need a better team of recipe testers.  I would just like to mention that Husband has a very nice couple who are regulars of his and they are always buying me gifts.  I have never even met them, but every once in awhile he will come home from work with a bag and say "here's another housewarming gift from A & B."  Isn't that nice?  This cookbook was one of those gifts.  Thanks guys!

At any rate, these were a snap to make, even though they required rolling out and cutting.  After the second rolling, the dough became impossible to work with (or I was too impatient to try) and I simply threw out the remaining scraps.  Also, I opted to use the top of a champagne flute to cut the cookies (about 2" across) while she used a 2 1/2" cutter, so I ended up with about 20 sandwiches.  These don't spread in the oven, so you can bake about 20 on each sheet which is always nice. 

These were very well received so I feel confident recommending them.  I only modified the recipe slightly, to include a little vanilla. 

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies - adapted from Donna Hay's Entertaining Cookbook. 

4 oz butter, softened

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/3 cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

filling:

4 oz dark chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

Make your filling: heat the cream and chocolate bits in a saucepan or bain marie until melted and nice, then put in the refrigerator to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 315F.  Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed.  While they are creaming, mix together your AP flour, rice flour, and cocoa powder.  When the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, add the dry ingredients; mix until you have a dough that forms a ball, then add the vanilla.  (This takes longer than you might be used to if you make a lot of cookies.  I usually caution to never overmix, but this does take a good minute or so to form a solid dough.)  Turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed paper and flatten slightly.  Place another piece of waxed paper on top and roll to 1/8" thick.  Cut dough into 2" rounds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking.  The cookies should be firm on the edges when finished, and have a cracked appearance.  Cool on the pan for a bit and then transfer to a wire rack to cool entirely.

Smear the filling onto a round and top it with another.  Take to coworkers who will marvel at your amazing talent.  Bask in the fleeting glory.