'OREO' Style Cookies with Bailey's White Chocolate Buttercream

'OREO' STYLE COOKIES WITH BAILEY'S WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

These cookies are inspired by TKO cookies from Bouchon Bakery, owned by the food magician Thomas Keller, who according to his book Bouchon Bakery (I highly recommend it) has a love of Oreos.

The cookies at Bouchon are huuuuuge, and the filling (his contain cream, white chocolate and butter) is hand piped in a time consuming fancy little pattern. A similar look can be achieved by this idea I had, of cutting the cold set buttercream with the same cookie cutter as the cookie. I don't know if it's an original idea, but I pretty much self acclaimed myself a genius when I came up with it. My apologies to any other geniuses who have also had this revolutionary idea to cold set buttercream and use a cookie cutter!

It's a very dark, cocoa cookie which is not sweet on its own, (even though I've added some brown sugar), so it's a good flavour balance with the sweet buttercream filling. They're pretty grown up with the Bailey's addition, and if they're for littles, just omit the Bailey's.

My fav Bouchon Bakery store is in the Time Warner shopping centre at Columbus Circle in New York, across from the top of Central Park. It's a pretty impressive view from the shopping centre, out an enormous glass windowed wall where you can watch the chaos of little yellow cabs and buses zip around the roundabout on the corner of Central Park. Everything from here I've tried has been so delicious it's ridiculous, including the fresh tomato soup with house baked brioche cheese toastie to dip in ... perfect in freezing NY weather. The peanut butter 'Better Nutter' cookies, oat cookies sandwiching a peanut butter filling, should be illegal they're so great.

Sooooo, please enjoy my 'Oreo' style cookies with Bailey's and white chocolate buttercream filling!

'OREO' STYLE COOKIES WITH BAILEY'S WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

For a print friendly recipe, CLICK HERE!

INGREDIENTS

Cocoa cookies

230g plain flour sifted

30g cornflour

90g good quality cocoa powder

120g caster sugar

40g brown sugar

200g unsalted butter

1 lg egg yolk – free range always

pinch of salt

Baileys & white chocolate buttercream filling

250g unsalted butter

2 ½ cups icing sugar

¼ cup Baileys

100g white chocolate (melted)

METHOD

‘Oreo’ style cookies

Combine and sift flour, cornflour and cocoa powder and set aside. Add pinch of salt.

Beat softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until just together (don’t overbeat – or the cookies will spread when baking and lose the sharp edge shape).

Add egg, gently beating until just combined.

Gently fold through dry mix of sifted flours and cocoa powder, until just combined.

The mixture will seem quite dry (see pic), but when you tip onto baking paper (rather than a floured surface – so you don’t have extra flour or cocoa powder to the dough) – squeeze together with your hands, and the dough will come together.

Flatten into a square shape around 2-3cm high, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 30mins.

Remove from fridge, using a rolling pin, roll between two sheets of baking paper, until round 3mm thick.

Cut out cookies with a fluted round cookie cutter, place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper, and bake at 180deg C until cooked (around 12 minutes).

Buttercream filling

Beat softened butter with icing sugar until light and fluffy.

Add Baileys Irish cream, and beat until combined.

Finally beat in melted white chocolate.

Spread buttercream between two pieces of baking paper, and roll the top with a rolling pin until the buttercream is around 3mm thick, place on baking tray and refrigerate until set.

When buttercream is cold and set, cut out the fillings with the same cookie cutter used for the cookies (round fluted), and place between two cooked and cooled cookies.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator, but serve at room temperature.