Franciscos
A take on the Pepperidge Farm Milano, these light, crisp sandwich cookies are layered with jam or chocolate.
The Pepperidge Farm Milano sandwich cookie is one of the greats in the pantheon of commercial cookies. They work well gluten-free due to their light, crisp texture which comes from the inherent starchiness of GF flours. Like most commercial cookies though, they derive from older recipes such as spritz, and are a cousin to langue de chat (which use only egg whites).
The batter is very simple and goes together quickly and it pipes easily as well. If you can’t pipe it, evenly dropping rounds would work, too. Sandwich with jam or melted chocolate, or top with chopped nuts or whole pine nuts before baking.
The optional matcha glaze (recipe at the bottom) pairs well with white chocolate sandwiched in the cookie, or a not too sweet jam. If you make the matcha glaze, be sure to use a high-quality matcha powder that is a nice bright green. You only need a little. Colors vary a lot amongst matcha options; some are more of a dull, army green hue.
RECIPE
Yields twenty-two 3.5” sandwich cookies (44 individual cookies)
• 140g / 10 Tbs unsalted butter, very soft
• 100g / 1/2 C sugar
• 2 eggs, large, room temp (place in warm water for a few minutes if cold)
• Vanilla bean 1/2 scraped, or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 220g / 1 1/2 C + 2 Tbs GF flour
• Nuts for topping (optional)
• 100g / 3 1/2 ounces chocolate for sandwiching, melted (optional)
Preheat to 350°f.
Prepare a pastry bag with 1/2” plain round tip (or a zip lock bag with 1/2” hole cut in bottom). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.
Mix butter and sugar until very smooth, 1-2 minutes with handheld or stand mixer.
Add eggs one at a time with vanilla and salt; mix until smooth.
Mix in flour by hand until incorporated. Transfer to prepared bag.
Pipe desired length; the ones pictured are 3” long, leaving an inch of space between each cookie. In order to make a nice shape and not leave a tail of cookie batter, ease up on the pressure at the end of piping and flick the pastry tip up. Any imperfections can be fixed by using a dampened finger and smoothing the batter gently into place.
Top with nuts if using. Bake 9-11 minutes, depending on size. They should be barely golden brown along the sides and pale on top. The ones in the picture above baked for 9.5 minutes with convection on; watch them closely when they are starting to brown as they can get dark quickly at this stage. Let cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
If sandwiching with chocolate, pair up the cookies to make sure tops and bottoms match in length, and spoon or pipe the chocolate onto the flat side of one cookie (see amount pictured). Gently place the other half on and press just until the chocolate reaches the edges of the sandwich.
Same process for filling with jam. If your jam is very thick, you can thin with a little bit of water, and conversely, if the jam is too loose, cook in a small pot to thicken. Cool before using.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for a week at room temperature, or a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Matcha glaze
• 170g / 1 1/3 C confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp matcha powder
• 2 Tbs water
Combine all of the ingredients, holding back a teaspoon of water and whisk til smooth. Adjust thickness with more water or confectioners sugar as necessary. Dip the cookie into the glaze, letting excess drip off for a moment. Place on a sheet tray to allow the glaze to set.
Did you just use simple melted chocolate in the middle of these cookies or did you make a ganache? Thank you!