Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 1.5 cups premium flour
• 0.5 cup cocoa powder + extra for sprinkling (optional)
• 0.5 cups of sugar
• 0.5 tbsp. malted milk powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-cm pieces, at room temperature

Filling

• 110 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp. l. malted milk powder
• A pinch of salt
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Bake some cookies: Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
   
   In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. With a mixer on medium speed, beat in the vanilla, then the butter, a few pieces at a time, until the dough resembles wet sand and holds together when pressed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and flatten into a 1/2-inch-thick circle. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate until slightly firm, about 10 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough between sheets of parchment paper into a layer up to 0.5 cm thick.
   
   Remove the top sheet and cut the dough into squares or circles using 4-5 cm cookie cutters. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll and cut out the cookies. Refrigerate the dough if it becomes too soft. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2.5 cm apart.
3. Bake until the cookies are set and opaque, 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Prepare the filling: Combine white chocolate, malted milk powder, salt and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
   
   Bring the cream to a boil over medium heat, then pour it over the white chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 25 minutes. Beat with a mixer until a thick, pasty consistency forms, about 1 minute.
5. Spread about 2 teaspoons of filling on the back of half the cookies, then top with the remaining cookies to create sandwiches. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days..