Brown Sugar Poppyseed Sandwich Cookies

My 101 Wilton cookie cutter set arrived today from Amazon so naturally I needed to use them right away! Thank goodness I always have a stockpile of recipes I want to try waiting in the wings. When I saw these cookies over at 101 Cookbooks, I couldn't believe how adorable they were.

These little cookie sandwiches are simply divine. The cookies have a wonderful snap and buttery-ness to them and the dark chocolate in the center really just brings them over-the-top. They are really salty-sweet, which is my favorite flavor combo if you haven't noticed. Additionally, because of the whole wheat flour and antioxidants in the dark chocolate, it can be reasoned that these are (somewhat) healthy cookies.

I would recommend using a cookie cutter with a bit more definition than the one I chose as it was quite difficult to match up the cookies and therefor, they didn't turn out as cute as Heidi's.

Of course if you aren't feeling the sandwiches, you could always just dip the cookies in chocolate!

Brown Sugar Poppyseed Sandwich Cookies

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• scant 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp sea salt or fleur de sel, for sprinkling
• 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
• 6-7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is fluffy and creamy. Add the sugar and mix until combined. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. On low speed, add in the flour mixture. Mix until just combined If the dough is on the dry-side, add in the milk as well.
4. Turn the dough out on a counter-top and knead it once or twice just so it comes together. Form it into one large ball and then cut it into quarters. Form each quarter into a ball and then flatten each ball into 1/2 inch thick pancakes and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough wafer thin (about 1/8 inch) on a lightly floured surface (I found it easiest to roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper). Stamp out cookies using a cookie cutter.
6. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or on a silicone baking mat) and then sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and sugar.
7. Bake for around 7 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on rack.
8. When you are ready to assemble the cookies, melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, or in 30 second intervals in the microwave.
9. Spread 1/2 tsp of the chocolate onto the center of the flat side of one cookie and then top with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and set aside to cool.