Faux-reos
Why I Love This Recipe
OK, I am pretty sure I got this off the King Aurthur Flour Web site .........
To get a nice crisp cookie, it’s important to press them thin, so use a ruler on the first batch so you can see just how thin 1/8 inch is. (If you press them thinner than 1/8 inch, you run the risk of having them burn.)
It’s important to bake them just the right amount of time: too little and they won’t crisp properly; too much and they’ll scorch.
Watch them closely at the end of the baking time, and at the first sign of darkening edges or first whiff of scorching chocolate, remove them from the oven immediately.
Ingredients You'll Need
COOKIES:
1 1/8 cup (7 7/8 oz by weight) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces, 12 TB) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
1 TB water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (6 1/4 oz by weight) unbleached AP flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 oz by weight) Dutch-process cocoa powder (Natural can be used, but flavor and color will be different)
FILLING:
1/2 envelope (1 1/3 tsp) unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons (1 fl oz ) cold water
1/2 cup (3 1/4 oz by weight) shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 oz by weight) confectioners’ sugar
Directions
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter together.
Add the salt, egg, water, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Beat in the flour and cocoa until well combined; the dough will be very stiff.
Take 2 level tsp of dough and roll into a ball
Place the balls on parchment-lined cookie sheets and flatten each ball until it’s 1/8 inch thick, using a cookie stamp dipped in cocoa powder or the bottom of a glass dipped in cocoa powder.
Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator to chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Bake the cookies for 18 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the baking pans and cool them completely on a wire rack.
MAKE THE FILLING:
Bloom the gelatin in a small ramekin containing the 2 TB of cold water, then place the ramekin in a larger dish of hot water and leave it there until the gelatin is completely dissolved and the liquid is transparent.
Remove the gelatin from the hot water and let it cool until it’s at room temperature but hasn’t begun to set.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the shortening, then beat in the vanilla and the confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, beating until the mixture is light and creamy
Beat in the gelatin.
ASSEMBLE:
Sandwich the cookies, using about 1 1/2 tsp for regular faux-reos, 2 tsp for double-stuffed. (You’ll have some filling left over if you fill the cookies moderately.)