Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches With Chocolate Filling Recipes

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter with confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Divide dough into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with one disk at a time (keeping the other refrigerated), roll out on lightly floured parchment to a scant 1/8 inch. Cut out 60 rounds total with a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cutter. Chill and reroll scraps (if dough becomes too soft, freeze 15 minutes). Use a 1/2-inch fluted round cutter to cut out centers of half of rounds. Arrange rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes. Brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
• Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are firm, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies on sheetsto a wire rack; let cool completely.
• Place chocolate in a heatproofbowl. Heat cream in a smallsaucepan over medium-highuntil just bubbling around edges.Remove from heat; stir in peppermintextract. Pour mixtureover chocolate; let stand 10minutes, then stir until smooth.Let stand, stirring occasionally,until firm enough to spread,about 30 minutes.
• Spread 1 teaspoon filling oneach uncut cookie; top withcut cookies. Sprinkle choppedcandies in window of eachtop cookie. Refrigerate until set,about 20 minutes. Assembledcookies can be stored in refrigerator up to 2 days.

PEPPERMINT-CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Decorating suggestion: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies; white, red and green sprinkles; or red and green decorating sugar
• Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop
• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough. Knead together any scraps of dough and roll out again. Continue to cut out pastry circles until there are 24 pieces in total. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve 1 parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• In a microwavable glass or ceramic bowl, combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and cream. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of the flat side of 12 of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.
• In a microwavable glass or ceramic bowl, combine remaining chocolate chips and oil. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until smooth. Spread the top of each cookie with the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic container.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle with salt and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased foil or paper-lined baking sheets; sprinkle with the crushed candy. , Bake at 225° for 1-1/2 hours. Turn off heat; leave cookies in the oven with the door ajar until cool, for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUE SANDWICHES WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22).
• Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
• Using a new small paintbrush, paint two or three stripes of red gel-paste food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to hold its shape, about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; repeat the cooling process.)
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5) with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of one meringue. Sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to wire racks; let set 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.
• Use a new small paintbrush to brush two or three evenly spaced stripes of gel-paste food coloring along the length of the inside of a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip. Fill the bag with meringue, and pipe star shapes onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Each time you refill the bag with meringue, paint new stripes inside.