Dark Chocolate Milano Cookies

I don't think my children have any clue that I am not your average Mom.  They seem to think that all kids go to their Mom's and say "hey, can you make homemade poptarts?" "Mom, can we have homemade twinkies?" "can you pleeeeeease make homemade cinnamon rolls?" Really....do all kids do this?  And if they do....do all Mom's say "sure, let me drop everything and do that for you".  Oh wait....that may be why they do it....hmmmmm.....

Ok...yes....I spoil my children with baked goods (and lots of love) but I enjoy doing it.  I also see it as a way to trap them into spending time with me (bwaaaahaaahaaahaaaha) (evil laugh....hard to convey via typing).  I can usually get them to help me because they really want to eat these baked yummies.  It doesn't matter that I go to school full time, have homework, have a job and occasionally need to sleep (let's face it....I don't sleep).....I always make time to bake for my boys.

What was my point?  Uh oh...senior moment....  Oh yes....so....today Max came to me and asked if I could make homemade golden oreos or milano cookies.  I decided these were the easiest to master in a day....I'm not sure what the heck a golden oreo is.

The dough is easy to make and easy to pipe.  Make them any size you like but they really spread and flatten so I would just make a little 1 1/2 inch long log.  You don't need to flatten it or do anything to it, these spread on their own in the oven.

Watch them closely so they don't brown too much around the edges.  Then allow them to cool completely before you make little sandwiches with your delicious ganache.  These were for my kids but if they were for an adult get together, I would have added a liqueur to the ganache....maybe a tablespoon of grand marnier. YUM!

Dark Chocolate Milano Cookies adapted from Gale Gand
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Cookies:
12 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 egg whites
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
Cookie filling, recipe follows

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Cream the butter with a paddle attachment then mix in the sugar. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1 1/2-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

Ganache: In a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl. Whisk to melt chocolate. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools). Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

Enjoy!

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