This recipe comes from a now off-the-menu Chocolate Malt Cake (OG’s will remember.) Yields 1 pint. The size of this recipe will make slightly more than you need to fill your cookies, any smaller of a recipe and you start to run into trouble. This leftover fudge, warmed up, is perfect on ice cream.

Ingredients: 

¾ cup Ovaltine 

½ cup heavy cream 

½ cup corn syrup 

¼ cup cocoa powder, heaping 

2oz or ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped bars

5 Tbsp unsalted butter 

3 Tbsp sugar 

¼ tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp molasses (optional) 

-------------

Method: 

• Combine the following in a large bowl: Ovaltine, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, butter, salt, and molasses (if using). Set aside. 

• To a small saucepan add your cream, sugar, and corn syrup, set over medium heat and stir to combine. 

• Bring to a boil, then pour cream mixture over the contents of your large bowl. 

• Stir everything together to make sure the cream mixture has covered all other ingredients. 

• Allow to sit for 1 minute so your butter and chocolate can melt. 

• Whisk together until all is homogenous and smooth. (if you have an immersion blender, feel free to use to obtain a smoother fudge).

• Allow to come to room temperature before use. 

• Fudge can be made up to a week ahead of time, stored in the fridge, or kept for a month in the freezer. 

Yields ~40 2” round cookies, or 20 cookie sandwiches. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups AP flour (plus more for rolling out)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)

⅓ cup vegetable shortening

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint or mint extract

-

½ cup sugar (enough to lightly cover the surface of your cookies)

-------------

Method: 

• Measure out dry ingredients (AP flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder) into a medium bowl and mix until fully combined, set aside. 

• To the bowl of your stand mixer add butter, shortening, and confectioners sugar. 

• Set on low speed until no dry spots remain, 1 - 2 minutes. 

• Once all ingredients are combined, raise mixer speed to medium high, and cream together mixture until pale and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Scrape your bowl thoroughly, and cream for an additional minute on medium high. 

• Scrape bowl again, then set speed to low. Add egg whites and extracts. 

• Allow to mix on low for 1 minute, then raise speed to medium. 

• It will take a couple minutes for your egg whites to incorporate, don’t worry, allow to mix on medium speed until your mixture is fully homogenous and fluffy. About 3 - 4 minutes. Make sure to scrape at least once during those minutes. 

• Once fluffy, scrape your bowl, and set speed back to low. Add all of your dry ingredients at once and allow to mix until no dry spots remain. 

• Take your dough out of the bowl and wrap tightly in plastic. Place dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. If baking now, preheat oven to 350 f. 

• Dough can be made up to a week in advance, stored well wrapped in freezer and allowed to thaw overnight in the fridge before use.

• Roll out your chilled dough: 

• Lightly dust your surface, rolling pin, and cookie dough with AP flour. Roll out cookie dough until ⅛” thick — making sure to lift the edges of your dough and re-dust as needed underneath to prevent sticking to your surface. 

• Using a round 2” cutter (or any shaped cutter of your choosing!) cut as many rounds as you can. Transfer your cut cookie rounds to a parchment lined sheet, about ½” apart, and place in fridge for 10 - 15 minutes. 

• Gather your dough scraps and re-roll until all dough is used, transferring dough to fridge if it is becoming too soft or sticky. 

• Remove chilled dough rounds from fridge. Put some granulated sugar in a bowl or dish, about ½ of a cup. You’ll dunk your cookies in this sugar, but you won’t use all of it! 

• Take your chilled rounds one by one and place top-down onto your bowl of sugar, pressing the bottoms lightly to adhere the sugar. Place them back on the baking sheet sugar side up. 

• Bake at 350 for 10 - 11 minutes, cookies will rise slightly but won’t spread at all.

• Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature before assembling, about 30 minutes. 

• Baked cookies can stay at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to a day before assembly. 

This is a thick, almost dough-y frosting, so you’ll roll it out like a dough rather than piping or spreading – it’s somewhere between a peppermint patty and an oreo. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups confectioners sugar (plus more for dusting) 

½ cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening 

¼ cup corn syrup 

¼ cup cornstarch

1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract (or, regular vanilla) 

pinch salt 

1 - 2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Crushed candy canes (optional, to taste)

-------------

Method: 

• Measure all dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer, set on low speed to combine. 

• Add shortening, corn syrup, extract, and food coloring and continue mixing on low speed until everything is fully homogenous. 

• Mixture should resemble a dough and shouldn’t stick to your hands. 

• If using, fold in crushed candy canes by hand. 

• Press into disc and wrap tightly in plastic. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. 

• Frosting can be made 2- 3 days ahead of time stored in this fashion.  

• Roll out frosting: 

• Remove frosting from the fridge. Unwrap and dust your surface, rolling pin, and both sides of your frosting with confectioners sugar.

• Roll out frosting until ¼” thick, dusting with confectioners sugar as needed to prevent sticking. 

• Using the same cutter used for your cookies, cut rounds of frosting. Then, using a smaller sized cutter (or the rounded end of a metal piping tip) cut another concentric circle out of the center of your round.

• Remove the smaller of the circles of frosting, leaving behind an “O” shaped round of frosting. 

• Carefully transfer “O’s” to a sheet tray and place in the fridge until ready to assemble. 

• Re-roll the inner circles of frosting along with scraps until you have enough rounds for your sandwiches. 

Assembly: 

• Turn half of your baked cookies over, bottoms up, and place your “O’s” of frosting on top. 

• If your Malt Fudge has set – re-warm in 30 second increments in your microwave to a pipe-able consistency (should only be barely warm, not liquidy!) Pour the slightly warm fudge into a piping bag or ziploc bag, then snip the end and pipe your fudge into the center of your “O’s”.

• Once all are filled, place a second cookie on top of your fudge-filled frosting halves to sandwich. 

• Proceed to glaze and decoration. 

Glaze & Decoration:

Ingredients, Mint Chocolate Glaze:

8 oz. or 1 ½ Cups chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips

1 tsp peppermint extract 

1 Tbsp vegetable oil 

3 oz. or ½ Cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips 

1 tsp vegetable oil 

1 drop green food coloring (optional) 

-------------

Method: 

• Mix dark chocolate and oil in a microwave safe container. 

• Microwave in 20 second increments, mixing well in between each round in the microwave.

• When your chocolate is fully melted and smooth, add your peppermint extract and stir. 

• Set aside. 

• In a separate container, repeat the same process with your white chocolate and oil. When fully melted add green food coloring (if using) and mix well. 

Decoration: 

• This step is totally up to you, the best part of holiday cookies is that you can decorate them exactly how you want and get creative! But here’s my suggestion: 

• Dip each cookie halfway up into your melted dark chocolate glaze, and transfer to wire rack on top of a sheet tray so excess chocolate drips off. 

• Transfer your white chocolate glaze to a cornet or piping bag and snip a tiny hole in the tip. 

• Pipe your white chocolate in stripes over your cookies. 

• Sprinkle flaky salt or crushed candy canes over your cookies while they are still setting. 

• Once excess chocolate has dripped off, transfer from rack to parchment lined baking sheet to prevent cookies sticking to your rack. 

• I like to store these in the fridge so the chocolate stays snappy, but as long as your room is not too warm you can keep these at room temp for 1 day before serving.