These were my favourite cookies when I was a child. I don't remember their name, but I remember the bright blue box they were packaged in. For years I tried to replicate them, or at least the filling, because the filling was my favourite part of the cookie, and this is it. The soft and light cookie base that melts in your mouth and the rich chocolate coconut filling compliment each other perfectly. This is a rather small batch, and it yields only 15 of them, so if you want, you can double the amount of ingredients.
Ingredients:
For the dough
50 grams butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
180 grams plain flour
2 tablespoons cornflour (corn starch)
½ teaspoon coconut extract
For the filling
150 grams butter, softened
100 grams icing sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon double cream
Preparation:
You need to make the dough by hand, using a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon. You don’t want to add too much air while making it, because it will cause the cookies to rise too much. Place the softened butter in a large bowl and add sprinkle in the sugar. Mix it with a spatula until combined, then add the egg, coconut extract, and a few tablespoons of flour. Mix until the batter is combined and creamy, then add in the flour sifted with the cornflour and baking powder and mix, until a very soft dough forms.
Place the dough in the fridge for 5 minutes, then roll it out very thinly (2-3 millimetres) on a lightly floured surface. Using a 5 cm cookie cutter, cut out 30 dough circles by pressing the cutter straight down and up. If you twist it, the cookies will not rise as much. Place the circles on a large cookie sheet lined with baking paper and bake them, in a preheated oven, at 180˚C (350˚F) for 5-8 minutes. Do not let them brown, you need them to stay light in colour.
While the cookies are cooling on a wire rack, make the filling. Place the softened butter in a large bowl and beat it with an electric mixer on high, for about 2 minutes. Add in the sifted cocoa powder and coconut extract and continue mixing on high for 2 more minutes. Finally, add in the sifted icing sugar and beat until the batter becomes smooth and thick. Add the double cream and beat it in. Place the icing in a pastry bag fitted with a large nozzle (Wilton 1M) and pipe generous swirls on half of the cookies. Place the other half of the cookies on top and serve. Yields 15 sandwich cookies.
