Marking a Milestone: Chocolate Whipped Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Dear readers,

I’m back! Apologies for my extended absence, as the last few weeks were given over to finishing edits on my third cookbook. It’s with a sense of relief and anticipation that I let go of the manuscript, and let the publisher take over. I’m looking forward to sharing more about the book as it gets closer to release…stay tuned for more details!

It’s been a tricky juggling act trying to work on the cookbook while caring for an increasingly mobile and precocious toddler, and attempting to tend to life’s other responsibilities. Although I’m a baker and food writer, I rarely binge-eat for comfort (I give away most of the things I bake to eliminate temptation most of the time!). However, during this rather intense period I found myself stuffing more than a few cookies in my face late at night, or, I have to admit, during the 45 minutes in the afternoon when Isabelle was napping and I *should* have been working, but could only find the energy to stuff cookies in my face and watch dog videos on youtube. We all need to recharge somehow…

When I was prowling the kitchen shelves looking for something to munch, these chocolate cookies became a favorite. They’re based off Alice Medrich’s chocolate wafer cookies with a pinch of Dorie Greenspan’s Korova cookies. Anything-but-plain chocolate flavor, enhanced with undertones of brown sugar and vanilla. The dough comes together in a pinch in a food processor, and then you slice and bake them when you’re ready, making them pretty much perfect for out-of-the-blue cookie cravings. Since these cookies spread out while baking, you don’t have to worry about making the dough log perfectly formed – a roughly cylindrical log is fine. If you want to add in chocolate chips (a la Korova cookies) I think it’d be a peachy idea; use mini chocolate chips or more finely chopped chocolate bits to make it easier to slice the dough.

These cookies are perfectly snackable on their own, but they also make great bases for toppings and fillings. Since I can never turn down Meyer lemons when it’s spring, I made some Meyer lemon-infused whipped cream that plays off the richness of the cookies really well. They turn them from a simple teatime accompaniment to dessert-worthy.

Now that I’ve finished the major part of my work on the book, I’m looking forward to getting back into a more regular schedule with the posts. So hope you are enjoying your spring, and expect some more posts soon!