Mango Ganache Sandwich Cookies

Recently I’ve been brainstorming recipes for an upcoming bake sale (keep an eye out for an announcement!) so I’ve had something on my mind. How does one make a dessert that’s delicious and impressive while still being portable? Well, honestly, I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet, but I have some ideas! Idea number one: take two deliciously crisp shortbread cookies and put something wonderful between them. This recipe is inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s fantastic vanilla sablés, which I’ve decided to fill with a super simple fruit ganache. I’ve been desperately anticipating warmer weather, so in the spirit of the tropics I went for mango, though you could use another fruit if you like. This recipe takes a while because both components need some significant chill time (don’t we all…) but the process is simple and easy, I promise. Oh, also, apologies in advance: this recipe requires a scale. Sorry!

A note on white chocolate: White chocolate doesn’t have the greatest reputation, largely due to the fact that many white chocolate products are not chocolate at all. For this recipe to work as intended, I urge you to source a high quality white chocolate: it should be labeled “white chocolate” (not, for example, “white baking chips” or something similar) and the ingredients should only list sugar, cocoa butter, milk, flavorings and emulsifiers. If the ingredients list things like palm or vegetable oils, don’t use it. That is not chocolate. My favorite chocolates come from Valrhona or Guittard, but Ghirardelli white chocolate bars are more widely available and considerably less expensive.

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The Recipe: Mango Ganache Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

For the shortbread:

226g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or ¾ teaspoon of Morton

The yolks of 2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

270g (2 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour

For the mango ganache:

226g (8oz) white chocolate, finely chopped

284g (10oz) frozen mango chunks, thawed but not drained

Pinch of kosher salt

To make the dough:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until fluffy and a bit frosting-like, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing in between, followed by the vanilla. Continue to beat until everything is smooth and homogenous. Add the flour all at once and mix on the lowest speed until just combined.

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide in half. Form each half into a 1-inch thick disc and place each on a piece of parchment paper. Top one disc with a second piece of parchment and roll out into a slab about 1/4 -inch thick. Repeat with the second disc of dough. Transfer the dough slabs, still on their paper, to a sheet pan, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.

While the dough chills, make the mango ganache:

Place the white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Using a blender or food processor, puree the mango chunks with their juice until completely smooth. Transfer the mango puree to a small saucepan, add the salt, bring to a boil, and cook over medium high heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. It might look a little gloopy and weird, which is totally alright. Using a scale, measure out 226g (8oz) of hot mango puree (if you get less than 226g, add a bit of hot water until you do) and pour over the chopped chocolate, spreading it so that the chocolate is totally covered. Allow to hang out undisturbed for 3 minutes. Once the time is up, slowly stir the mango-chocolate mixture until homogenous and smooth. The chocolate should have melted by this point, but if it hasn’t, place it over a double boiler or heat in the microwave on 50% power until melted. Once the ganache is smooth, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until firmly set. It should have a scoopable but firm and slightly gelatinous texture.

To bake the cookies:

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut the chilled dough into 3-inch circles and arrange an inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-16 minutes, or until the cookies have turned beautifully golden around the edges.

Allow the cookies to cool on sheet pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble:

You have two options for assembling these. If you’re feeling fancy, you can transfer the chilled ganache to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe pretty swirls onto half of the cooled cookies before sandwiching them with the other half. Alternatively, you could simply spread some filling onto the cookies with a knife or spoon. Whichever method you choose, you should have enough ganache to be fairly generous, so spread as much filling as you fancy on each cookie. Keep in mind, though, that the more filling you add to each cookie, the messier they’ll be to eat. Sometimes, though, a mess is worth it. Just have a napkin handy.

Resources`

Greenspan, Dorie. Dorie's Cookies. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016.