Blurb

It’s valentine’s day, and these are my boyfriend’s favorite cookies. The original recipe is for a very thin, crisp chocolate pistachio sable. I took the basic techniques then shaped the logs of dough into hearts before slicing so that they would have a heart shape. Then, I sandwiched pairs of cookies with a homemade Oreo cream. The Oreo cream is optional but highly recommended. These cookies aren’t too sweet naturally and have a bit of saltiness form the pistachios and flaky sea salt. The salt is enough to cut through the sweetness of the Oreo cream to give these cookies an amazing play of flavors. 

Two tips for making these cookies: 

1. The dough is dark, so it can be difficult to tell when these cookies are done. Stick to the 10-12 minute range and you should be fine. The cookies are meant to be snappy so you don’t have to worry too too much about over baking. 

2. Slice the cookies relatively thinly. Since they are sandwiched together, you want a thin cookie to balance with the cream. 

Ingredients

chocolate pistachio sables
Makes ~24 sandwich cookies
150 g all-purpose flour
20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
140 g room temperature butter (10 tbsp)
240 g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 egg white (15 g)
2.5 oz (70 g) dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (60 g) unsalted, shelled, raw pistachios, coarsely chopped. 

oreo cream filling:
1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
230 g confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk 
pinch of salt

Directions:

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine completely. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in egg white then fold in chocolate and pistachios. 

Divide dough into two portions. Roll each into an 8” long and about 1-1/2” diameter log in plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes until firm. Remove from fridge and shape into a heart shape using something flat (I used the counter and a chef’s knife to form the bottom of the heart, then a chopstick to make the dimple on the top of my heart). Return to the fridge and chill until solid (at least 4 hours but ideally overnight). 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove one log of dough at a time and slice using a serrated knife into thin cookies (~1/4 inch thick). Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set around the edges and the centers look dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cookies cool, make the Oreo cream. Beat the butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until completely smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add milk and salt and continue mixing until desired texture is achieved. 

Once cookies are completely cool, transfer Oreo cream to a piping bag. Pipe filling onto half of the cookies in a v shape that follows the shape of the cookie. Sandwich a second cookie on top and give to your valentine or eat them all yourself :)