Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Sandwiches

This post is sponsored by Truvia®. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Browned Butter Blondie possible. 

These dark chocolate raspberry cookie sandwiches have a light and fluffy raspberry buttercream filling sandwiched between two delicious chocolate shortbread cookies. As pretty as they are delicious, these cookies make the perfect homemade treat for Valentine’s Day!

There are lots of ways to say “I Love You” but the way to my heart is always through cookies. And chocolate. Chocolate cookies did you say? Even better. It might be tradition to give your person a box full of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, but who wouldn’t adore a freshly baked treat made with love? Whether you are baking for the whole fam or just your boo, everyone will fall head over heals for these dark chocolate sandwich cookies stuffed with a fresh and fluffy buttercream. When you combine chocolate and raspberries, there’s really nothing more to be said.  These cookies are equals parts pretty and petite and I can’t think of a sweeter Valentine’s Day treat for your favorite people. So without further adieu, let me tell you how to make them.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY COOKIE SANDWICHES

Cookies are great and all, but how about two rich, dark chocolate cookies stuffed with a super fluffy, fresh raspberry filling? Umm, yes please! And as if it couldn’t get any better, we’re making this stuffed cookie situation with less sugar. Yep, that’s right. You get to have your cookie{s} and eat them too, along with the box of chocolates if your heart desires. Because #balance. That’s where Truvia® Sweet Complete™ All Purpose Calorie-Free Sweetener comes in. It has zero calories per serving and bakes, browns, sweetens and measures like sugar in recipes. I love that I can sweeten these cookie sandwiches without any complicated conversions while also limiting how much sugar is in the recipe overall. On top of all these baking wins, these cookie sandwiches are also super easy to make with just a handful of pantry staples. 
Here’s what you’ll need….

• Flour
• Butter
• Truvia® Sweet Complete All Purpose Sweetener
• Truvia ® Confectioner’s Sweetener
• Cocoa powder
• Salt
• Vanilla
• Raspberries {fresh or frozen}

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY COOKIE SANDWICHES

Cookie sandwiches are by far my favorite thing to bake and I’ve got all the tips and tricks you need to make perfect cookie sammies every time. These cookies are as much fun to make as they are to eat and with a few helpful hints you can make cookies pretty enough to share with all of your sweethearts. 
Use room temperature ingredients. Softened butter and room temperature eggs are a must for a smooth chocolate cookie dough. Take your butter and eggs out of the fridge an hour or two before baking for best results. 
Do not over mix the dough. The dough may seem a bit crumbly at first but give it time to come together. Once the dough begins to form a ball, don’t be tempted to over mix. Kneading the dough too much can lead to a tough, dry cookie. 
Chill the dough. Once the dough comes together, form it into a ball and then put a little elbow grease into it and press the dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour before rolling out the dough on a flat surface dusted with cocoa powder. Roll the dough about 1/4″ thick and use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles. Heart shape cut outs would be super cute too – choose your own adventure here. Chill the cookie dough cutouts on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20 minutes before baking in a preheated oven. The extra chilling time helps to keep the cookies from spreading in the oven so don’t be tempted to skip this step. 
Cool completely. These pretty little cookies might look fancy, but assembling the cookie sandwiches is easy! Simply cool the cookies completely and then pipe a swirl of raspberry buttercream to the flat side of one cookie. Top with a second cookie. Gently press them together and tah-dah….you’ve got the cutest lil’ cookie sandwich ever!

TIPS FOR THE BEST RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM

Raspberry buttercream is such a welcome change from chocolate and vanilla and seriously, who doesn’t love pink frosting? That pretty pink is all natural folks so put away the food coloring and let the berries do all the work. To make the frosting we start by simmering a cup of berries with a scoop of Truvia® Sweet Complete™ All Purpose Sweetener and a tablespoon or two of water. I use fresh raspberries but frozen will work in a pinch! Cook the berries over low heat until they break down and the juices are released. Once the berry juice begins to thicken, remove it from the heat and strain the juice into a small bowl. Once the juice has cooled down, cream the butter in the bowl of stand mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Next we’ll add in Truvia® Confectioner’s Sweetener – like Sweet Complete™ this is also zero calories per serving and measures cup-for-cup with traditional powdered sugar in recipes. It’s deliciously sweet and perfect for making frosting, dusting over lemon bars or dressing up a bundt cake, and everyday sweetening! Add the Truvia® Confectioner’s Sweetener to the butter slowly and mix until well combined. Next we’ll add in our raspberry juice and a bit of heavy cream and beat for a full five minutes on high speed until our frosting is super fluffy.

CAN YOU MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM AHEAD OF TIME? 

Absolutely! Make the frosting as directed a day or two in advance and then store it in the refrigerator tightly covered. When you are ready to assemble your cookies, simply bring the buttercream to room temperature and then whip it again using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream until it reaches the desired consistency. Easy peasy!

LET’S TALK SWAPS

Without a doubt, chocolate and raspberry are a match made in heaven. They go together like, well, you and your Valentine. One of the things I love most about these cookies, aside from how delicious they are, is that you an easily customize the filling with your lovebug’s favorite flavor. Here’s a few of my personal faves…
Classic vanilla. For a leveled up cookies and cream vibe, omit the raspberry juice and add an extra teaspoon of vanilla in the buttercream. Or really sweeten the deal and use vanilla bean paste. Delicious!
Minty mint. Chocolate and mint is always a winning combo. Add a drop or two of peppermint extract to the frosting. Don’t go overboard here – less is more. 
Strawberry. Strawberries and chocolate is so very Valentine-y. Use an equal amount of fresh strawberry juice in the place of the raspberries. 
Double Chocolate. Double the chocolate, double the fun! For an extra chocolatey indulgence, omit the raspberry juice and sift in 1/4 cup of Dutch process cocoa powder along with the Truvia® Confectioner’s Sweetner. The frosting will be stiff so add a bit of extra heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. If you’re feeling extra festive, dip one half of the assembled cookie sandwich into a bowl of melted chocolate for a truly decadent dessert.

HOW TO STORE COOKIE SANDWICHES

These dark chocolate raspberry cookie sandwiches will keep well tightly wrapped in a cool, dry place. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Good luck not polishing these off on day one. You’ll be happy to know these cute-as-can-be cookie sandwiches make a great gift for any occasion. Chill the cookies until the frosting is set and then wrap them in cookie boxes or cellophane bags with ribbon.  

If you do nothing else on Valentine’s Day, make a batch of these frosting filled dark chocolate raspberry cookie sandwiches. There’s not a single heart out there that can’t be won over with this delicious duo.
Happy baking loves!