The Black Forest Cookie

One of my favorite desserts is the German Black Forest Cake. It is the perfect mix of sweet & rich & chocolate & cherry & of course butter... Since I made a batch of boozy whiskey cherries for Christmas I thought it would be the perfect time to transpose my favorite cake into a cookie form. So here is my "Black Forest Cookie".

The Chocolate Wafers

Ingredients:

• 2/3 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 large egg (break an egg into a cup, beat it, use half for this recipe - scramble the rest for breakfast!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• up to 2 tablespoons milk

1. In the bowl combine the butter and sugar and mix for 4 minutes on med-high speed, or until light and fluffy.
2. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until it is well combined. Scrape the inside of the mixing bowl.
3. Add the egg & vanilla and blend thoroughly; scrape the bowl.
4. Mix together flour & cinnamon and add this to the batter.
5. Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 4 hours or overnight. The dough should be firm.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Dust work surface with equal parts cocoa powder and flour to ensures a nicely darkened cookie.
3. Working quickly roll the dough into a 12 x 12 inch square, approximately 1/8 inch thick.
4. Using a round cutter, cut out circles, transfer the circles to the prepared sheets
5. Pierce the cookies several times with the tines of a fork.
6. Place the sheets on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 9 minutes. Do not overcook as they will become very hard!
7. Cool slightly, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Notes:
1)  I was not sure how much the cookies would spread during cooking and I wanted them to have a perfectly round shape so I put them in individual foil tart tins. It turns out this was not required as the dough did not spread at all.
2) The number of cookies you see in the pictures are only from half of the dough that was made from the recipe.
3) of course I di not have a cookie cutter the correct size (I never seem too!) so I just used some thin copper sheet folded around and crimped at the joint.

1. Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.
2. Add 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere)
3. Mix until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
4. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoons of milk and beat for 3 more minutes.
5. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar.
6. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1/2 tablespoons at a time.

1. Scoop butter cream into a pastry bag with a decorator tip.
2. Squeeze filling onto the "flat" bottom of a chocolate wafer.
3. Take other wafer and place it on top to make a "sandwich".
4. Place a cherry on the top and pipe buttercream decorations around the edges to hold the cherry in place.
5. Put a tablespoon of cocoa in a sifter and sprinkle over each cookie.
6. Put the cookies in fridge to allow the buttercream to solidify a bit.

Eat, Share and Enjoy!

These cookies are very rich so this recipe is for a small 1/2 batch. To make more, just double the ingredients below. The recipe gives the instruction assuming you have a mixer, I do not, so I made these totally by hand.


The Chocolate Wafers

Ingredients:

• 2/3 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 large egg (break an egg into a cup, beat it, use half for this recipe - scramble the rest for breakfast!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Add the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until it is well combined. Scrape the inside of the mixing bowl.
2. Add the egg & vanilla and blend thoroughly; scrape the bowl.
3. Mix together flour & cinnamon and add this to the batter.
4. Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 4 hours or overnight. The dough should be firm.
6. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
7. Dust work surface with equal parts cocoa powder and flour to ensures a nicely darkened cookie.
8. Working quickly roll the dough into a 12 x 12 inch square, approximately 1/8 inch thick.
9. Using a round cutter, cut out circles, transfer the circles to the prepared sheets
10. Pierce the cookies several times with the tines of a fork.
11. Place the sheets on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 9 minutes. Do not overcook as they will become very hard!
12. Cool slightly, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• up to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.
2. Add 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere)
3. Mix until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
4. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoons of milk and beat for 3 more minutes.
5. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar.
6. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1/2 tablespoons at a time.

Cookie Assembly & Decoration:

1. Scoop butter cream into a pastry bag with a decorator tip.
2. Squeeze filling onto the "flat" bottom of a chocolate wafer.
3. Take other wafer and place it on top to make a "sandwich".
4. Place a cherry on the top and pipe buttercream decorations around the edges to hold the cherry in place.
5. Put a tablespoon of cocoa in a sifter and sprinkle over each cookie.
6. Put the cookies in fridge to allow the butter cream to solidify a bit.