FOR THE COOKIES

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sifted confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

1 jar marshmallow Fluff (also called Marshmallow Creme)

2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

Drop about 2 teaspoons dough (I used a small cookie scoop) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add Fluff and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.

Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies.  Top each with one of the remaining cookies, flat side down, and gently press together.

Melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, or a small parchment cone, or a small sandwich baggie with a corner tip cut out.  Pipe chocolate in a spiral pattern on top of each pie.  Let chocolate set before serving, about 1 hour.

I made this as cupcakes and skipped the chocolate curls. I modified the baking time to about 24 minutes. These also freeze well. I froze them (with frosting) for a week and they tasted great. 

Planning Tip: Can be made through Step 4 and refrigerated airtight 3 days or frozen 2 weeks. Frosting can be refrigerated 3 days. Curls can be stored in a cool place 1 week.

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/3 cups boiling water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
21/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting
8 oz white chocolate, melted as pkg directs, cooled to room temperature
3 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 oz cream cheese, softened
5 Tbsp stick butter, softened
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Garnish: Chocolate Curls (directions follow)

1. Position racks to divide oven in thirds. Heat to 350°F. Coat three 9-in. or 8 x 2-in. round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with wax paper.

2. Stir cocoa and boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; let cool.

3. Meanwhile mix next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat next 4 ingredients with mixer on high speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add cool cocoa; beat until blended. Scrape bowl. On low speed, beat in flour mixture just to blend, scraping bowl once. Spoon into prepared pans; smooth surfaces. Stagger pans on oven racks.

4. Bake 24 to 31 minutes (depending on pan size) until a wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Run knife around edges; invert on rack, remove paper and cool completely.

5. Frosting: Beat ingredients on low speed to blend. Increase speed to high; beat 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

6. To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on serving plate, bottom side up. Spread with 1/3 the Frosting. Repeat with remaining layers, swirling frosting on top. Garnish with Chocolate Curls.

Chocolate Curls Line mini loaf pan or make a 31/2 x 2 x 11/4-in. pan with a double thickness foil. Melt 4 oz white chocolate, pour into pan; chill until firm. Peel off foil. Soften at room temperature 30 minutes. Pull a swivel-blade vegetable peeler along side of bar to form curls (if curls break, soften chocolate more). Repeat with 4 oz milk chocolate.

from Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book

Dough

• 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 6 eggs

• 1 cup sugar

• 12 tbsp (1-1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Icing

• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

• 3 tbsp water

• 1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or more, to taste)

• nonpareils, for sprinkling

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly oil 2 baking sheets or cover with parchment paper.

  In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, cream together the eggs with the sugar until light lemon-yellow in color.  Add the butter in a steady stream, whisking to incorporate.  Whisk in the vanilla extract.

  Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.

  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough comes together.  Divide into 24 pieces.  Make a roughly 6-inch rope out of each piece, then pinch the ends together to form a circle.

  Place the circles on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.

  For the icing, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and whisk until well blended and just warm.  Add more water or sugar to achieve the consistency of syrup.  Dip the cookies in the icing and sprinkle with nonpareils.