Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches

Normally I avoid recipes that include any boxed cake mix, but these were just too darned cute to pass up!  Of course, one of the nice things about using the boxed mix is that the cookies themselves took no time at all to prepare.  Normally it doesn’t take me long to whip up cookies from scratch either, but I have a rule in my kitchen about baking after 8:30 pm.  Any time I start baking this late, I am practically guaranteed to make a mistake and end up frustrated with a bunch of wasted ingredients.  I started this recipe around 8 pm so I knew I might be pushing it, but thankfully using the cake mix made it nearly impossible to screw up.

These fun little sandwich cookies are absolutely delicious, and they really remind me of a cookie from the mall food court that I had a slight obsession with as a child.  I think these could be a really fun project to make with kids, and they are sure to love the results.  I used a dough scoop to try to make the cookies uniform in size.  Even so, there was a fair amount of variation so I recommend pairing up all the cookies based on size before you start sandwiching them with icing, to avoid ending up with a very mismatched pair.   There is definitely room to be creative with what you dip the sides of the cookie into.  I loved the sprinkles, but you could use mini-chocolate chips, mini-M&Ms, etc.  Just have fun with it!

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Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches
Yield: 10 sandwich cookies (using a medium-sized dough scoop)

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 package chocolate cake mix (or other flavor of your choice)
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

For the frosting:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. milk

For decorating:
multi-colored non-pareils, or other sprinkles or candy of your choice

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, egg and butter.  Beat on low speed until just combined and all dry ingredients have been incorporated.  Roll the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls, place on the prepared baking sheets and press down to slightly flatten.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the powdered sugar, and beat until incorporated.  Add vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and beat on medium-high speed until smooth.  If the frosting too thick, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk and beat until incorporated.

To assemble, pair the cookies based on size on a work surface.  Frost the flat side of one cookie from each pair.  Place the other cookie of each pair on top of the frosting, flat side down.  Lightly press down so that the frosting reaches the edges of the cookies.  To decorate, place sprinkles in a small bowl.  Dip the sides of each cookie in the sprinkles, pressing down gently and rotating to cover the sides completely.

Source: adapted from The Crepes of Wrath