Recipe: Hemstrought's Bakery Half Moon Cookies

Hi from from a native Utican :) Unfortunately Hemstrought's has closed almost all of its stores in Utica but you can still buy their cookies at some of the big shopping stores. :( They are fabulous. My favorite are the all white bottoms with all white frosting with coconut. Too bad the recipe doesn't give the white dough bottoms. LOL

Several years ago (March 1999) Saveur magazine published a great article on Hemstrought Bakery and the recipe for Half Moon Cookies. Here is the recipe.

HALF-MOON COOKIES (HEMSTROUGHT'S BAKERY)
Source: Saveur Magazine, March 1999

MAKES ABOUT 30

Hemstrought's Bakery generously shared its recipe with us, but we had to adapt the quantities: The original makes 2,400 cookies!

FOR THE COOKIES:
3 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cup sugar
16 tbsp. margarine, cut into pieces
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk

FOR THE FUDGE ICING:
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp. butter
4 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING:
7 cups confectioners' sugar
16 tbsp. room temperature butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
7 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt

FOR THE COOKIES:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Put sugar, margarine, cocoa, and salt in bowl of standing mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat. Add half the milk, then half the flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth; repeat with remaining milk and flour mixture. Spoon or pipe batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, making 3-inch rounds 2-inches apart.

Bake until cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from parchment.

FOR THE FUDGE ICING:
Melt bittersweet and semisweet chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water over medium heat. Add confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and 6 tbsp. boiling water and mix to a smooth, stiff paste with a rubber spatula. Thin icing with up to 8 tbsp. more boiling water. Icing should fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. Keep icing warm in a double boiler over low heat.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING:
Put sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on low speed to mix, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

TO FROST THE COOKIES:
Using a metal spatula, spread about 1 tbsp. of warm fudge icing on half of the flat side of each cookie. Spread the other half of each cookie with 1 heaping tbsp. buttercream icing.