My Favorite Cookie of the Week So Far

As I mentioned earlier, I am going to post some of the previous cookies of the week periodically. I hope you don't mind! :) I think this was our first cookie of the week and it was my favorite so far! These are Chocolate Malt Sandwiches and they are FABULOUS! This was my younger son's choice. Both boys have a way of picking complicated recipes with many ingredients. But these were so different and soooo tasty! They have some interesting ingredients like malted milk powder and creme fraiche. You want to eat more than one until you think about it and you are actually eating two cookies and lots of good (e.g. fattening) stuff in the middle. Oh well!

Because she has it posted on her website and I don't actually have to type it out, here is the recipe if you want to give it a go. I encourage you to do so. You will NOT be dissapointed!

Ingredients for Chocolate Malt Sandwiches (from Martha Stewart Cookies)

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen

• FOR THE COOKIES
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup plain malted milk powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• FOR THE FILLING
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup plain malted milk powder
• 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, creme fraiche, and hot water. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.
2. Space tablespoon-size balls of dough 3 1/2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until flat and just firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.
3. Making filling: Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simming water, stirring. Let cool. With an electric mixer, beat malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually mix in half-and-half, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until thick, about 30 minutes. Mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping tablespoon filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Cookies can be refrigerated between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.