I made my sister a mini peppermint patty inspired cake for her birthday a few weeks ago. Problem: there was tons of leftover ganache. While I may be one to toss out a pan of over-cooked brownies, I certainly will not waste several cups of perfectly good ganache.
I found myself staring down at the bowl of soupy dark chocolate and reaching deep into my sugar-coated thoughts for an answer...
I could have easily made another mini cake or cupcakes, or found something to drizzle it on. Ultimately, though, I decided to pour it into a pan lined with wax paper and freeze it. Then, I used my frozen ganache in two different cookies in two different ways! First up: chocolate pillow cookies.
While it requires a bit more time and work, these pillow cookies are kind of like opening a present. Hidden inside a super soft & chewy exterior is a creamy layer of chocolate.
You can use any chewy cookie dough you want: sugar, chocolate chip, chocolate...or I bet ginger would be amazing! I added a pinch of cinnamon to my dough (a sugar cookie base) to keep things interesting.
Also, I was indecisive with the size cookie I wanted, so I made both small and large. With the size cookie cutter I used for the ganache, I found that the small cookies made for a better chocolate/cookie ratio (pictured).
It's a highly adaptable recipe-slash-concept, so do with it whatever you like and make sure to come back to tell me about it! :)
Chocolate Pillow Cookies
A Pursuit of Sweetness Original Recipe
Servings: ~6 large or one dozen small cookies
Chocolate Ganache
1/2 bag dark chocolate chips (~6 ounces)
1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond)
Cookie Dough - Or use your favorite cookie dough base instead!
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- Prepare ganache the day before (or use leftovers like me!): bring milk to a bubble--not full-out boil--over medium heat in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and scatter in chocolate chips. Allow to sit, and do not stir, for 4-5 minutes. After that time has elapsed, stir until smooth and allow to cool. Line an appropriate sized baking pan or sheet with wax paper (my amount of leftovers fit perfectly in a bread pan) and pour in ganache so that it spreads to about a 1/4-inch thickness
- To prepare cookie dough: in a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes. Scrape down sides and add in egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Add in and combine dry ingredients and cinnamon (optional).
- If you find this dough is too sticky to work with, chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. While chilling dough, remove ganache from freezer and cut into small circles, using a round-shaped cookie cutter. Be careful, as the ganache will melt easily. Try to handle the ganache as little as possible and work quickly. Place ganache back in freezer until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment. For small cookies, use a medium cookie dough scoop or measure 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough (just eye-ball it), divide into two flattened disks, place a piece of ganache in the center and seal the edges. For large cookies, use 2 medium scoops of dough (~3 tablespoons) and do the same as above. (To seal edges, you can fold one disk's edges over the other, rather than pinching like pie pockets.)
- Bake small cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until edges just start to brown. Large cookies will need a little bit longer to cook, about 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
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