Recipe: Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies with Variations (like Milanos)

CHOCOLATE MINT SANDWICH COOKIES

"Here's a cookie that replicates Mint Milanos, the fix of every midnight snacker, the bane of every dieter. Why make your own? For the sheer fun of it, of course. These tender wafer cookies taste a little like a vanilla wafer. They're good on their own, but isn't the chocolate-mint filling always the best part?"

FOR THE COOKIE WAFERS:
4 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening (2 ounces), plus additional for greasing the baking sheet
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for the baking sheet
FOR THE CHOCOLATE FILLING:
2 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons creme de menthe or mint syrup*
1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil (optional)

TO MAKE THE COOKIE WAFERS:
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Use a dab of shortening on a small piece of wax paper to grease a large baking sheet; flour the baking sheet, then set it aside.

Beat the shortening and sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and airy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, then beat in the egg whites in two increments, making sure the first is thoroughly incorporated before adding the second. Beat in the vanilla until smooth. Remove the beaters and stir in the flour, using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, just until incorporated.

Fit a pastry bag with a round, 3/4-inch tip; fill the bag with the dough, squeezing it toward the tip. Pipe out twenty-four 3-inch-long cookies on to the prepared baking sheet, each about as thick as your thumb. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the sheet. (If the baking sheet is not large enough to accommodate all the cookies, reserve some of the dough for a second baking.)

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until set and very lightly browned at the edges but still springy to the touch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE FILLING:
Once the cookies have cooled, place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 1 inch of simmering water, or in a medium bowl that fits snugly over a medium saucepan with a similar amount of simmering water. Stir until half the chocolate has melted, then remove the top half of the double boiler or the bowl from the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Transfer to a clean bowl and let stand for 10 minutes to cool almost to room temperature. Stir in the creme de menthe or mint syrup, and the peppermint oil, if using, until smooth.

TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES:
Spread a scant 2 teaspoons of the chocolate-mint mixture on the flat side of one of the cookies, taking care to smooth it to the sides. Gently top with a second cookie, flat side down. Set on the wire rack until the chocolate hardens, about 1 hour. Repeat with the remaining filling and cookies.

RECOMMENDED STORAGE:
3 days at room temperature
Not recommended for freezing

*CUSTOMIZE IT!:
You can endlessly vary the filling of these tender, light cookies. Omit the peppermint oil. Substitute any one of the following for the creme de menthe: raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord; almond liqueur, such as amaretto; apple schnapps; bitter orange liqueur, such as Mandarine Napoleon; cherry liqueur, such as Cherry Heering; chocolate liqueur, such as Godiva Liqueur; coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua; Cognac; hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico; honey liqueur, such as Barenjager; or licorice liqueur, such as Sambuca.

Makes about 1 dozen large sandwich cookies
Source: Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough