Growing up in a portuguese household, snacks were mainly bread, yogurt, cheese, or whatever your grandma happened to make that day. How I envied my friends and their pantries filled with all those beautiful colored packs of chips, pop tarts and so many kinds of candy.
However, there was one kind of cookie that we always add around the house, Milano cookies, my dads favorite!
Thinking back, I was the lucky one compared to my friends. The chocolate sandwich cookie was my go to treat for an after school snack or dessert. Today, Milano’s have come out with a variety of flavors but my ultimate favorite, aside from the original, are the mint Milano’s! Chocolate and mint are just classic flavors, and sandwiched between two sweet and crispy cookies, is the ultimate treat!
This recipe sends me right back to being a kid sitting at my kitchen table…
It's made with a shortbread dough and a chocolate ganache filling to which I added mint extract to. Join me at my kitchen table, and enjoy the nostalgia!
Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp. mint extract
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixture, in a medium bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine. With a mixer on low, carefully add the flour and salt and beat until combined.
Transfer dough to a piping bag. Snip a 3/4-inch hole piping bag. Pipe cookies that are 1 1/2 -2 inches long and at least 2 inches apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, 30 minutes.
Bake until cookies are light golden at edges, about 10-15 minutes.
While the cookies cool, place the chocolate in a medium-size heat-safe bowl. In a small pot, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds then stir until the cream and chocolate is smooth and all melted. Add the ¼ tsp. of mint extract and stir again.
Once the cookies are cooled, drop a tablespoon of the chocolate in center of an upside-down cookie.
Top the mixture with a cookie and press gently until some of the ganache peeks out through the sides.