By Anna Posey, Epicurious
We love the look of the homemade extra-long sprinkles on these whoopie-pie-type cookies, but they take a steady hand and a wealth of patience to shape. Use any store-bought sprinkle in their place.
Yield
Makes about 24 cookiesIngredients
Sprinkles:
- 1 large egg white
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
Cookies:
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Icing and assembly:
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
Preparation
Sprinkles:
- Whisk egg white in a medium bowl just to loosen. Add powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. water and whisk until smooth. The mixture should be smooth, satiny, and very thick. If mixture is too thick or gloppy, whisk in another 1/2 tsp. water. Transfer to a disposable pastry bag and snip off the end of the bag (or use a resealable plastic bag and cut off 1 corner) to make a very small opening.
- Pipe icing in very thin, very straight lines across a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing close together (if icing does not squeeze out of the bag easily, snip a slightly larger opening). Keep piping until you’ve covered the entire sheet of parchment (discard leftover icing or save for another use). Let sit at room temperature until hardened, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day (to speed up drying, you can also bake sprinkles in a 150°F oven for 2–2 1/2 hours). Lift ends of parchment to break sprinkles into various lengths, then gently roll your fingers over top to loosen from parchment paper.
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let water touch bottom of the bowl), stirring until melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until thick and light, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add chocolate mixture; mix just to combine. Turn off mixer. Add dry ingredients and pulse mixer on low until no dry spots remain. If the dough is very soft, cover and chill until firm enough to scoop, 10–15 minutes.
- Using a 1 1/2 oz. scoop (or a scant 1/4 cup), portion out dough and roll into balls between your palms (if dough becomes very sticky while rolling, chill for a few minutes). Place balls on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2" apart; flatten slightly. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets once, until centers are puffed and edges are just firm,13–18 minutes. Let cookies cool 20 minutes on baking sheets, then peel away parchment and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Icing and assembly:
- Heat chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let water touch bottom of bowl), stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
- Whisk powdered sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture, then add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking to incorporate fully after each addition. Whisk until icing looks smooth and glossy.
- Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 Tbsp. icing over each cookie and top with sprinkles.
Do Ahead
Sprinkles can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.Cookies can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
