Desserts
Cocoa Dunkers with Vanilla Cream Filling
Whether you have kids at home, you’re watching the grandkids, or you just crave the iconic flavors of your favorite cream-filled chocolate cookie, this recipe for Cocoa Dunkers is as fun to make as the cookies are to eat. If you've ever thought homemade Oreos were impossible to make, give this cookie recipe a try! Whether you twist them open and lick the filling off the cookies, or eat them whole, these perfectly “stuffed” sandwich cookies are bound to outshine the store-bought variety.
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES, COMBINE:
WHISK:
CREAM:
FOR THE FILLING, BEAT:
Test Kitchen Tip
No cookie stamps? No problem! Just roll the dough a bit thinner, use a slightly larger cutter, and bake the cookies a little less since you’re not pressing with a stamp.
Instructions
For the cookies, combine cocoa powders and water, stirring until a paste forms.
Whisk together flour and salt.
Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in cocoa mixture, egg, and vanilla, then blend in flour mixture just until combined. Wrap dough in plastic and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place metal cookie stamps in the freezer.
Divide dough into two pieces and roll each between sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thick; transfer to a baking sheet, then freeze until firm. Peel back both sheets of parchment, discarding one. Cut dough into rounds with a 15/8-inch-round cutter, dipping cutter in cocoa powder before each cut. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheets and chill until firm. Press rounds to 1/8-inch thick with a frozen cookie stamp, dipping stamp in cocoa powder before each press. Bake cookies 12 minutes. Reroll, cut, and stamp dough scraps once, then bake. Cool cookies completely before assembling.
If not using cookie stamps, roll dough to 1/8-inch thick, cut with a 17/8-inch-round cutter, and bake cookies 10 minutes.
For the filling, beat powdered sugar, shortening, vanilla, and salt to combine. (This takes 8–10 minutes and looks like it’s not going to come together, but it will.)
Scoop filling with a #100 scoop (2 tsp.) onto centers of half the cookies. Place remaining cookie halves on top, pressing so filling extends to edge.
Bloom the cocoa powder with hot water to enhance it. This gives the cocoa richer, fuller, more intense chocolate flavor.
To ensure the cut cookies release, since the dough is very sticky, separate it from both sheets of parchment before cutting.
So the cookie dough releases from the stamp, make sure both the dough and stamps are very well chilled.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per sandwich cookie
Calories: 199
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 62mg 2%
Carbs 28g 9%
Protein 2g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.