Vanilla-Filled Chocolate Cookies – A Delicious Hummingbird Bakery Recipe
Rich chocolate cookies sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy vanilla filling – these homemade treats are a dream for chocolate lovers!
If there's one thing The Hummingbird Bakery knows how to do, it's make irresistible cakes and sweet treats. Famous for its iconic Red Velvet Cake and delicious American-style baking, The Hummingbird Bakery has been tempting Londoners with its mouth-watering creations since 2004.
From beautifully decorated cupcakes and indulgent layer cakes to brownies, cheesecakes and cookies, there's always something delicious to discover.
So, when we were invited to try a recipe from Life is Sweet, The Hummingbird Bakery's fourth cookbook, I couldn't wait to get baking!
Baking with The Hummingbird Bakery's Life is Sweet Cookbook
Life is Sweet is a beautifully illustrated baking book packed with over 100 recipes inspired by classic American home baking.
With everything from cakes, cupcakes and cookies to pies, pancakes, puddings, ice cream and savoury bakes, there's plenty of inspiration for anyone who loves spending time in the kitchen.
What I particularly love is the variety of recipes. Whether you're looking for something simple to make with the children or fancy trying a more indulgent bake, there's something for everyone.
After flicking through the book, one recipe immediately caught my eye – Vanilla-Filled Chocolate Cookies.
Knowing how much the kids love chocolate biscuits, I had a feeling these would be a big hit!
Homemade Vanilla-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Think rich, chocolatey biscuits with a generous layer of sweet vanilla buttercream sandwiched in between. They're a little like homemade chocolate sandwich cookies, only with that lovely homemade touch.
The best part? They're surprisingly straightforward to make, with simple ingredients and around 30 minutes of preparation and baking time, plus cooling.
They're perfect for an afternoon treat, a weekend baking session with the kids or simply enjoying with a lovely cup of tea.
Here's how to make them.
Makes: Approximately 12 sandwich cookies
Preparation and baking: Around 30 minutes, plus cooling
Oven temperature: 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F
Ingredients
For the chocolate cookies
170g plain flour
90g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
140g unsalted butter, softened
320g caster sugar, plus 3 tbsp extra
1 large egg
For the vanilla buttercream filling
225g unsalted butter, softened
435g icing sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
How to Make Vanilla-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Step 1: Prepare your baking trays
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and line three baking trays with baking parchment.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Give everything a gentle stir to combine, then set aside.
Step 3: Make the chocolate cookie dough
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and caster sugar for approximately 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat on a medium speed until fully incorporated.
Reduce the mixer speed and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until everything comes together into a chocolate cookie dough.
Step 4: Shape the cookies
Using a small 15ml scoop or teaspoon, place evenly sized balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking trays, leaving approximately 5cm between each one.
Gently flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass until it's around 3–4mm thick.
Try to keep the cookies roughly the same size so they'll sandwich together neatly once baked.
Step 5: Bake the chocolate cookies
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cookies feel firm.
Remove from the oven and leave them to cool completely before adding the filling.
It's worth being patient here, as warm cookies will cause the buttercream to soften and melt.
Step 6: Make the vanilla buttercream
While the cookies are cooling, prepare the delicious vanilla filling.
Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the icing sugar, mixing carefully at first to avoid a cloud of sugar escaping from the bowl!
Once combined, increase the speed and beat for approximately 3 minutes until beautifully smooth and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and continue beating for another 2 minutes.
You should now have a lovely, creamy vanilla buttercream that's perfect for sandwiching between your cookies.
Step 7: Assemble your chocolate sandwich cookies
Transfer the vanilla buttercream into a piping bag.
Pipe approximately one tablespoon of filling onto the flat side of half the cooled chocolate cookies.
Place another cookie on top and gently press together to create a delicious chocolate and vanilla sandwich.
Repeat with the remaining cookies until all your sandwiches are assembled.
And that's it – your homemade vanilla-filled chocolate cookies are ready to enjoy!
Tips for Making the Perfect Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Let the cookies cool completely. This is especially important when using buttercream, as even slightly warm biscuits can make the filling melt.
Keep the cookies evenly sized. Using a small scoop makes it much easier to create matching cookie sandwiches.
Don't overbake them. Keep an eye on the cookies towards the end of baking to avoid them becoming too hard.
Get the kids involved. Little ones will love helping to shape the cookie dough and sandwich the biscuits together once they've cooled.
Make them your own. For a fun variation, you could add a little orange zest or peppermint flavouring to the buttercream.
A Delicious Homemade Treat
There's something lovely about baking a batch of homemade cookies, especially when you know they're going to disappear almost as quickly as you've made them!
These vanilla-filled chocolate cookies are wonderfully indulgent, combining rich chocolate biscuits with a smooth, sweet vanilla filling.
They're also a great recipe to make with children, whether they're helping to mix the ingredients or eagerly waiting to sandwich the cookies together.
If you love classic American-style baking, Life is Sweet by The Hummingbird Bakery is certainly worth exploring for more delicious inspiration.
Have you ever tried making homemade chocolate sandwich cookies? I'd love to know your favourite filling!
Recipe adapted from Life is Sweet by The Hummingbird Bakery. We were originally invited to choose and bake a recipe from the cookbook.
