• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup Dutch processed* or natural cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Vanilla Cream Filling, Recipe Follows

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, ream the butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy again. Add the vanilla extract to the mixture and then the cocoa powder. Beat until they are combined.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix gently until incorporated. The dough will be very soft and slightly sticky. Knead the dough two or three times on a lightly floured board to incorporate all the ingredients. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll 1/8-inch thick. Wrap well and chill for 40 minutes.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Peel off the top sheet of paper or plastic and cut into 2-inch rounds. Transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan. Mark with a cookie stamp if you have one available. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.

5. Make sure the shortbread is thoroughly cool before filling. To fill, put the vanilla cream filling into a pastry bag with a number 6 plain tip or a plastic bag with the tip of a corner cut off so that the opening is 1/2-inch wide.

6. Line up 16 cookies so that the side that was baked against the pan is facing up. Starting with one cookie, pipe a thick ring about 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the cookie. Fill in the center of the ring with a dot of filling and place another cookie on top of the filling. Press lightly until the filling oozes almost to the edge of the cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

*Dutch processed cocoa has been alkalinized which allows the chocolate flavor and color to bloom. This creates a deeper chocolate flavor and also a richer dark color after the cookies are baked. It also reduces the acidity naturally found in cocoa powder. Regular cocoa powder can be used as a straight substitution for Dutch processed powder. The resultant cookies will be lighter in color but not in flavor.

Vanilla Cream Filling

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Start on slow speed to combine the ingredients, and then increase the speed to high and beat until the filling is very white and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Place the filling in a piping bag or plastic zip lock bag with the corner cut off to pipe into cookies. The leftover filling may be chilled and reused again. Wrap very tightly and store in the refrigerator. To reuse, bring to room temperature and then whip until fluffy again.

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