Hi there! I know it has been a while since I've posted. We have been alternating between crazy busy and just busy this summer, and I've fallen out of the habit of writing up what little baking I've accomplished. I do have a little backup of recipes to share with you and this recipe is one of my favorites. Just looking at the photos for these made me wish I had tucked a few away in the freezer. I made these for a surprise birthday party for my parents back in June, and everyone enjoy them. I’m sure you will too!
If it is particularly hot where you live right now, you may want to keep this recipe for a cooler month or plan on making them in air conditioning and eating them with minimal transport. The chocolate will struggle to set if it is too warm. That being said, if you love anise, don't forget about this recipe because it is awesome! These cookies taste like Christmas to me, and I plan on making them again in December. Yum!
Notes:
I used anise oil to make these cookies. I find that the flavor of anise oil is stronger than anise extract flavor, so if you use anise extract, you may need to add a little more. I scoop all of my dough balls at one time onto a large plate, roll all of them to smooth the edges, and place them on the cookie sheet. I use the end of a wooden spoon to make the indentations since it is easier to control the size of the indent with the spoon. I don't have a wooden spoon with a handle that the perfect size, so I make a first indentation with the spoon handle and then gently press around it some more to enlarge the hole. If you don't make it larger, it will still work, but you won't be able to add as much ganache to the cookies. I always use a clean wooden spoon to deepen the indentation after the first round of baking because I want to make sure I don't introduce any raw eggs to the cookies in case the remaining time in the oven won't be enough to fully cook the egg residue. I used dark chocolate to make the ganache, but you could use milk chocolate if you prefer. Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour the warmed cream mixture over the chocolate. If you add the chocolate to the pan the cream was warmed in, you run the risk of overheating the chocolate and making the ganache unusable. You’ll have a little bit of ganache left over after make these. You can always gently warm the leftover ganache in a small saucepan and pour it over a little ice cream. You can bake the cookies one day and then fill them the next day. The cookies can be frozen filled with the ganache. Just make sure that the ganache is fully set before you store the cookies. These cookies should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. I wouldn’t recommend transporting them long distances in the car in the summer unless they are in a cooler because the ganache may melt.
Adapted from Cranberry Orange Pistachio Thumbprints (and therefore, Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets)
Cookie Ingredients:
2¼ cups (311 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon (2 g) salt
1 cup (2 sticks; 225 g) unsalted butter, cold but not hard
½ cup (105 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (34 g) light brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon anise oil
Ganache Ingredients:
6 ounces (170 g; ~1 cup) dark chocolate chunks or chips
¾ cup (178 g) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (33 g) granulated sugar
Yields about 3½-4 dozen cookies
Whisk, Cream, Stir, Shape, Bake:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or Silpat mats, and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add both kinds of sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and anise oil at the same time, and beat until combined. Add the flour in halves, beating just until all of the flour is integrated. Scrape the bowl well to ensure that there are no remaining flour bits. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out a tablespoon-worth (approximately 14-16 grams) of dough. Roll the dough ball between your palms to smooth out the edges, and place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Once the cookie sheets are full, use the end of a handle of a wooden spoon to indent each cookie a little more than halfway through. Make the indentation a little over a half-inch wide. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Use a clean wooden spoon end to gently press down on the indentations again to deepen them. Return the cookies to the oven, and bake for another 2-5 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. (The cookies bake for a total of 12-15 minutes.) Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with any remaining dough. Once the cookies are cooled, filled them with the ganache.
Make the Ganache:
Chop the chocolate into pea-sized pieces or smaller, transfer to a medium-sized bowl, and set aside. In a small-sized pan, combine the heavy whipping cream and sugar and warm over low- to medium-heat until bubbles begin to form at the edges of the pan, stirring regularly. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Shake the bowl a little bit to ensure that the chocolate is fully submerged, and set the bowl aside for a few minutes so the chocolate can melt. Once the chocolate is melted, whisk the mixture until it is smooth, and then stir in the vanilla. Pipe the ganache into the centers of the cookies while the ganache is still warm, but not hot (you don’t want to burn your hands). To do this, line a drinking glass with a piping or Ziploc bag. Scrape the ganache into the prepared bag, and tie off the top with a twist tie. Snip off the corner of the bag (start with a small opening and then cut off more if you need a wider opening) and then pipe the ganache into the center of the cookies. Pipe the ganache so that it is higher than the top of the cookie. Set the cookie back on a tray or cooling rack to allow the chocolate to set. If your house is warm, you may need to put the cookies in the fridge to set the ganache. Once the ganache is fully set, store the cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax paper in the refrigerator or freezer.
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