I Eat Politics For Dinner.

In the heat of the political race, I'm come up with a solution for peace (see previous crisis solving)

These cookies.

I say we throw them at each other in the heat of our political debate. That way everyone wins.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla-Cream Filling

Ingredients:

For Cookie Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg

For Vanilla-Cream Filling:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. While pulsing or on low speed, add the butter, then the egg. Process until the dough is blended together.

(here's where it went a little insane. I thought the cookies looked too dry--kind of like cat litter--yum. So I added about 4 TBsps water. I would say add one TBsp at a time until it looks cookieish. Yes, cookieish)

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheets at 2-inch intervals. With moistened fingers, round out the cookies and flatten them a little.

(advice again. I use one of those little ice cream scoops to get these out. Touch them as little as possible--they tend to crumble. I'm not kidding about the moistened fingers thing. Also, I kind of hate the word moistened. Ew.)

Bake for 9 minutes, turning the pans once for even baking, until the cookies are set. Set the cookie sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the filling: Put the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and, at low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, until blended. Turn the mixer up to high and beat for 2 or 3 minutes more, until fluffy.

Frost bottom of cookie (I swear the word cookie has lost all meaning) and smoosh together with another cookie, making a cookie-ice-cream-sandwich-type-thing. Which I forgot to take a picture of.

(are you sick of me? I made these for Halloween and added three drops of red food coloring and two drops of yellow to the filling)

Enjoy!