In the Kitchen with Faux Martha

Melissa Coleman has always liked to bake and a couple of years ago, she put down the cake mix and started focusing on making everything from scratch.  Since Martha Stewart was her prime source of information, when she decided to start a food blog , it seemed only too fitting to call it Faux Martha…

Today, Melissa was in the kitchen showing us her recipe for what she calls ‘Christmas in a Cookie’…

Christmas in a Cookie

1 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

sea salt

Filling

10 oz. white chocolate

1/4 c. crushed peppermint, plus more for garnish

2 tbsp. salted butter, room temperature

2/3 c. heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, oats, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside. Cream together butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg.  Slowly add in flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on cookie sheet.

Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass, about 2 1/4-inches in diameter allowing 1” between cookies. Use extra flour on the bottom of the cup if sticking occurs. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheet and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

To make the filling, add white chocolate chips, peppermints, and butter to a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering.  Pour over chocolate chip mixture and whisk until combined.  Allow to cool and thicken, about 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Spread filling over half of the cookies. Sprinkle with additional peppermints. Top with cookie and serve.

Notes:

• White chocolate can be finicky. If it doesn't melt completely, add mixture back into the saucepan and continue to heat.

• Small candy canes crush the easiest. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to crush.