Cookies au Creme

Originally I planned to make mini-chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, but I decided that they were still too big to be minis, so I came up with something else instead: Cookies au creme! French for cookies with cream! (Clever, right?)

As far as I'm aware, I didn't see these anywhere before I decided to make them, so the recipe is an old chocolate chip cookie recipe I had, and the frosting recipe is the same one mom and I use for frosting regular sugar cookies.

My mini-cookies!

These cookies are mini, complete with mini chocolate chips! To get them small, I used a melon baller-- the larger scoop if you have one with two sizes. Or, from what I gathered from looking, they're about the size of a teaspoon (a measuring spoon, not an actual spoon.)

To keep them from spreading out, I added about 1/4 cup extra flour to the recipe, maybe a little more.
I also cooked them on parchment paper-- NEVER grease a pan if you don't want the cookies to spread!
For the frosting I used regular buttercream-- the recipe is actually on the back of the C&H brand powdered sugar bags. It should be a little more thick than the frosing used to frost cookies, but not too much.. when it holds its own, but can also be manipulated easily, then it's probably a good consistency.

For the design I used a star tip nozzle with a piping bag, and went in a spiral. Then I topped with more mini-chocolate chips! But be sure to sprinkle the chips on as you go, because as the frosting sets, the chips begin to bounce off of it if you drop them on too late.

I didn't actually count, but I'd estimate that I made about 70 mini-cookies. By the time I'd frosted 30, I was exhausted (and bored) so I left the rest plain, for milk-dipping.

It's time-consuming to make each little cookie, to bake, then to prep the frosting and frost, but they're worth it!
Cookies au Creme Recipe

Cookie:

• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 12-oz bag of semi-sweet MINI-chocolate chips

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375
• Blend together the butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Beat in salt and baking soda.
• Beat in flour, bit by bit, until fully incorporated.
• Use a spoon to mix in about 3/4 of the chips.
• Cover a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a melon baller (or teaspoon), scoop out leveled-off spoonfuls of dough. (I used a butter knife to get it out from the scoop.)
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Leave on the pan for a minute or two, then scoop onto wire racks to cool.

Frosting:

• ++This recipe is doubled from what's on the back of the bag++
• 2 lbs powdered sugar
• 11 tbsp butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk (estimation-- I keep about 3/4 a cup on hand and eyeball it)

Preparation

• Blend together the butter, vanilla, and salt.
• Beat in the powdered sugar, a third at a time (to cut down on a possible mess) until all blended, adding milk as you go.
• If too stiff, add a little extra milk. If too runny, add in more powdered sugar.
• Put the frosting in a piping bag with the star nozzle already inserted.
• Frost the cookies, flat-side up, by going around the cookie in a spiral.
• Sprinkle with extra chips!