Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Ingredients

For the brownie cookies:
400g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (14 oz)
90g unsalted butter (3 oz)
4 eggs
⅔ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup white sugar
2 tsp finely ground instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
280g dark chocolate, finely chopped (10 oz)
For the salted caramel buttercream:
200g caster (superfine) sugar (7 oz)
30g salted butter, cubed (1 oz)
330g whipping cream (12 oz)
140g unsalted butter, softened (5 oz)
2 - 3 tsp sea salt, to taste

Method

For the brownie cookies:
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a few trays with baking paper.
Place the 400g roughly chopped dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each burst, until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugars, coffee and vanilla until pale and creamy, 5 - 10 minutes.
Stir through the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the flour, salt, baking powder and extra finely chopped dark chocolate until incorporated.
Allow the mixture to stand for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Drop large, rounded tablespoons of batter onto the lined trays, allowing an inch or two of spreading room.
Bake for about 8 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and cracked. Allow them to cool completely on trays while you make the buttercream.
For the salted caramel buttercream:
To make the caramel, place the cream in a heatproof bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it's hot.
Place the sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat, stirring around the edges with a spatula to prevent the sugar from burning, until all the sugar melts and turns a dark amber colour.
Remove the caramel from the heat and add the 30g salted butter, stirring to combine. Add the hot cream, mixing quickly to prevent the caramel from hardening.
Return the pot to the heat, and cook until it reaches 108 C on a candy thermometer (just under thread stage).
Pour into a heatproof bowl and cover with cling wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Allow this to cool completely. I typically put it in the freezer, and it takes about an hour.
Once the caramel has cooled, beat the softened butter and salt, using an electric mixer, until very pale and creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the caramel in about four batches, beating very well to incorporate each addition. The mixture may split and look curdled, but keep beating and it will come together. You can also do this in a food processor.
To assemble the cookies, top the underside of a cookie with 1 - 2 tablespoons of buttercream and sandwich together with another cookie.
Repeat until you have used all the cookies, you may have some buttercream leftover. Makes 18 filled sandwich cookies.
Happy baking!

Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Salted Caramel Buttercream

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