Chocolate cookie cravings can have a way of taking over. Especially when it's been a while, and it has. I wanted a cookie that had intense chocolate flavor, like a brownie, but not as heavy as a brownie. And this seemed to do the trick! I found the cookie recipe over at Smitten Kitchen, Deb is, without a doubt, a reliable source of all things sweet. She mentioned the recipe was adapted from Miette cookbook, MIette is a bakery located, um, very close to where I live and, um, I've never visited, in fact, as many times as I've been to the Ferry Building I've overlooked this gem of a bakery. So it's definitely on the must-visit-soon list. The book does not have good reviews on Amazon, apparently it's in it's 4th printing and should now have correct measurements, but Deb seemed to survive the recipe as did I, so maybe it's not all as bad as was said in the reviews.

I made the cookies ahead and was only going to post the cookie recipe, and while the cookies are really great on their own (kinda like the cookie part of an oreo) I was wanting something a bit more with it, on it, in it. I thought they'd be suitable for ice cream sandwiches and turns out they are. I didn't have any ice cream on hand but I did have cream, and with my ice cream maker cylinder conveniently at room temp in the cupboard I kinda had to improvise, but you know if you freeze whipped cream it is perfectly delicious so I put these little bites of yumminess together. Ice cream will be great as well, maybe even Basil ice cream?

So as I'm crushing nuts and whipping cream and stuffing sweet chocolate sandwiches, horrible things are happening. Bombs are going off in Boston. I couldn't help but reflect on how crazy this world can be. There are so many good people in this world and yet it only takes a few lunatics to try and mess with our heads and our lives. But there's more good people than bad and that's how we know hope.

To anyone touched by this tragedy I wish you peace and my thoughts are with you.

Recipe below.

Chocolate Sable Ice Cream Sandwiches
(cookies adapted from Smitten Kitchen )

Chocolate Sable Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutched cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3.5 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped or grated

Cream filling

1 cup whipping cream, well chilled
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Nuts (optional)

1 cup honey roasted peanuts or roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Makes about 24 cookies (2" cutter)

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda together into a small bowl. Cream butter, sugar and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined, scraping down sides. Add dry ingredients and grated chocolate together with wood spoon and mix well until it's not crumbly anymore. It will have a paste-like consistency.

Gather dough in ball and wrap with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. (dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, let sit out for 3-4 hours if it's been refrigerated overnight so that it's easier to roll).

Heat oven to 350°. Place dough on lightly floured surface, working from center press the dough with a rolling pin, gently rolling out (as the edges will start to crumble a bit), continue pressing and rolling until 1/4" thickness.

Cut with 2" cookie cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Place the cream in mixing bowl, whisk together with an electric mixer until it starts to get creamy, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat at high speed until it is very thick. Place whipped cream in freezer of 15-20 minutes.

Place nuts in plastic baggy and with either a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, hammer away until nuts are crumbled. Lay crumbled nuts in single layer on parchment covered flat surface.

When cookies are cool assemble the sandwiches by placing dollops of cream in sandwich and then roll the edges in the crushed nuts. Place in freezer for 2-3 hours to complete.

For the whipped cream I used a cuisinart immersion blender, it whips up in seconds!