Talk about decadence, these brownie sandwich cookies are simply swoon-worthy, with a duo of fillings sandwiched between two rich, brownie-like cookies. They’re part cookie, part brownie, part chocolate truffle… and entirely delicious.
The cookies themselves are soft, chewy, and undeniably fudgy, with a silky smooth chocolate ganache filling and a hidden core of raspberry jam. The tartness of the raspberry counterbalances the richness of the chocolate ganache filling perfectly, resulting in an unforgettable sandwich cookie that you have to taste to believe.
Start your ovens, cookie season is upon us!
When I was developing my my stuffed Cosmic brownie cookies, I remember thinking that the soft, flat chocolate cookies (sans filling) would be perfect for sandwich cookies, filing away the though for later.
The recipe itself is nearly identical, just smaller and with the filling sandwiched between cookies rather than baked inside. I also added a pinch of espresso to the cookie base to further intensify the chocolate flavor.
The smaller cookies don’t spread quite as much as the stuffed versions (I’d have been ok if they had come out a wee bit thinner), but the cookie is so perfectly rich and fudgy that I really didn’t want to mess with it.
The soft and chewy chocolate cookies are then sandwiched with a rich chocolate ganache in between (with a splash of Chambord black raspberry liqueur to class it up just a little bit, totally optional of course), and a core of tart raspberry jam that perfectly compliments the rich chocolate of the other components. You could use homemade or storebought jam here (might I recommend this Chocolate Raspberry Jam for a particularly decadent variation)
For perfect sandwich cookies, I highly recommend using a piping bag. While you can dollop the ganache filling in the middle of two baked cookies, it’s very hard to get that perfect raspberry ‘core’ with a spoon.
I used a disposable piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, piping a ring of ganache around each cookie (don’t go quite to the very edges, as it’ll squeeze out a bit when you put the top on).
The jam can easily be spooned in the middle, or piped as well (I used a 1/4-inch round tip here for more control).
If you wanted to skip the jam filling and just do ganache, I recommend making 1 1/2 times the ganache proportions listed to be sure you’ll have enough filling for all 2 dozen sandwiches.
While I love the contrast between the rich dark chocolate and the tart raspberry, this recipe is ripe for adaptation. Swap out that core of raspberry jam for salted caramel or dulce de leche, Nutella, or even pistachio cream (basically, anything you’d use for a thumbprint cookie can be used here too). Or, keep the raspberry and swap out the ganache for peanut butter and you’ll have yourself one heck of a brownie PB&J sandwich.
I also think that a caramel ganache filling would be amazing here: it’s like a hybrid caramel-and-ganache-in-one that is out of this world (basically you replace the hot cream in a normal ganache with freshly made salted caramel. Yeah, it’s as amazing as it sounds.) You can use the recipe from my caramel ganache truffles. You won’t use the full batch for the sandwich cookies, although whatever is left you can just pipe into dollops, chill for a bit more, then toss in cocoa powder and voila… (nearly) instant truffles.
The ganache will need about 45 to 60 minutes at cool room temperature before it reaches a pipeable consistency, though you can refrigerate it to speed up the process a bit, just give it a gentle stir every 5 or 10 minutes to ensure it cools evenly. I’d recommend starting the ganache while your cookies are in the oven.
Once the ganache has cooled to the consistency of peanut butter, transfer it to your piping bag and do a test cookie. If it still seems a bit runny, twist the end of the piping bag to keep it from running out (or if you have one of those nifty silicone piping tip caps that works beautifully), and put the whole bag in the fridge for a few minutes more.
Once they’ve been sandwiched, the cookies will need to chill for a bit longer to fully set (otherwise the cookies might slip around).
At cool room temperature these cookies are fine left out for a few hours, though they should be refrigerated if storing overnight.
Brownie cookies in general are definitely best enjoyed within a few days of baking, however they will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 5 days if necessary (though I highly doubt they’ll last that long!)
If you’re wanting to freeze these for later, I’d recommend freezing the unbaked dough balls you don’t plan to use right away, then bake and fill the cookies before serving (I personally don’t love frozen ganache, I prefer that part to be fresh).