Cocoa Dunkers

with vanilla cream filling For the cookies, combine cocoa powders and water, stirring until a paste forms.

Whisk together flour and salt.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in cocoa mixture, egg, and vanilla, then blend in flour mixture just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place metal cookie stamps in the freezer.

Divide dough into two pieces and roll each between sheets of parchment paper to 1/4- inch thick; transfer to a baking sheet, then freeze until firm. Peel back both sheets of parchment, discarding one.

Cut dough into rounds with a 15/ 8- inchround cutter, dipping cutter in cocoa powder before each cut. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheets and chill until firm. Press rounds to 1/8- inch thick with a frozen cookie stamp, dipping stamp in cocoa powder before each press. Bake cookies 12 minutes. Reroll, cut, and stamp dough scraps once, then bake. Cool cookies completely before assembling.

If not using cookie stamps, roll dough to 1/8- inch thick, cut with a 17/ 8- inch-round cutter, and bake cookies 10 minutes.

For the filling, beat powdered sugar, shortening, vanilla, and salt to combine. ( This takes 8–10 minutes and looks like it’s not going to come together, but it will.)

Scoop filling with a #100 scoop (2 tsp.) onto centers of half the cookies. Place remaining cookie halves on top, pressing so filling extends to edge.

Per sandwich cookie: 199 cal; 10g total fat (5g sat); 22mg chol; 62mg sodium; 28g carb (0g fiber, 18g total sugars); 2g protein