Chocolate Gingerbread Stars

chocolate-gingebreadstars1.jpgMakes 30 sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. line two baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cloves. Set aside.

Using a standing mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and blend. Add, slowly, the flour mixture until well combined.

Divide dough in half and roll each piece 1/8″ thick. Set on parchment paper and chill for 1 hour.

Remove dough from the fridge and cut into desired shapes. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill again for 30 minutes.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until firm to the touch and the lightly brown around the edges, 13-15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

Make the ganache (recipe here) and then fill.

- Recipe courtesy of Susan Salzman