Cookie Week is here!!! And a Giveaway!!!

Welcome to Cookie Week here in Stephanie's Kitchen! I have been hard at work in the kitchen all week trying to come up with the BEST cookies for you all!  I am a cookie lover at heart.  I've been making cookies for as long as I can remember.  I love to make them and I love to eat them.  I thought it would be so much fun to devote an entire week to the cookie!  And along with that, I wanted to do a cookbook giveaway to show my appreciation of all who support my blog.  I have enjoyed starting this blog and trying to keep up with it for the last 6 months.  I have discovered my passion of baking through it all, and I've been having so much fun being in the kitchen!  I have made so many friends along the way. 

So, the first order of business is the giveaway.  I have 2 cookbooks, both of which are devoted to the cookie. First, is Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook (one of my all time favorites).  

The second one is a darling cookbook called Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellefontaine.  
Both are great cookie cookbooks with fabulous recipes and ideas! So all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me what your all time favorite cookie is.  That's it!  The deadline is Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at Midnight.  I will announce the winners Friday morning.  Tell your friends and other foodie friends and I would greatly appreciate it!  My all time favorite cookie is the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie.  Crispy on the outside and ooey gooey in the center, hot and fresh out of the oven.  Total comfort food for me. 

Next order of business, Cookies - Day 1!  I am definitely showing you this one first because it is my new favorite.  Oh. My.  If you like mint and chocolate, you are going to love this one. Total bliss.  I found a recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookie cookbook called Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies.  The link is to her website where she has posted the recipe.  I decided to change it up a bit and make it my own.  I used her basic cookie recipe, but changed the filling and chocolate coating.  This cookie is total heaven let me tell you! It has the same components as a chocolate covered mint oreo cookie, but when you make it from scratch, it just taste sooo much better!  It really wasn't all that difficult either.  The dough takes no time at all, and after you chill it for an hour, all you have to do is bake, frost and dip.  It's worth any time it does take, I promise!  I had a 1 1/2 inch flowered shaped cookie cutter that I used, and it was the perfect size.  A two bite cookie is perfect when it is as rich as these are.  But trust me when I say that you can't eat just one! Instead of a chocolate ganache, which I thought might be a bit to rich for my taste, I used a basic mint frosting and coated the tops of the cookies with a mixture of semi sweet and white chocolate.  Perfection in a cookie!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Be sure to check back each day for a new recipe and don't forget to enter the fabulous giveaway!

Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

cookie dough adapted from here

For the cookies:

1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

Confectioners' sugar, for work surface

For the mint frosting:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons mint extract

5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (use milk if you prefer)

For the glaze:

4 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, very finely chopped

2 ounces best-quality white chocolate, very finely chopped

1. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg and mix until well combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa.  Add slowly to the butter mixture just until combined.  Divide in half and make a disk.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour.  

2. On a work surface covered lightly with confectioners' sugar, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter (I used 1 1/2 inch) cut out dough and place 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes.  Let cool completely on wire racks.

4. Meanwhile, make the frosting.  In a mixer, beat the confectioners' sugar, extract and cream until light and fluffy.  Frost one cookie and place another cookie on top.  Repeat with remaining cookies.

5. In the microwave or double broiler, melt the semi-sweet and white chocolate until smooth. Let cool slightly.

6. Dip one side of the cookie sandwich into the melted chocolate and place chocolate side up onto the wire rack.  Repeat with remaining cookies.  Place in refrigerator until chocolate is set. Enjoy!!