Irish Coffee Heart Crunchies

I rarely make coffee flavored desserts even though they are one of my favorites because John is not a fan. I’ve never liked drinking straight coffee–but mochas and all other things sweet that can be made with coffee are right up my alley. So I was naturally intrigued by these cookies from the year 1980 in The Gourmet Cookie Book (the book celebrates the best cookie from each year that Gourmet Magazine was in publication). I was extra intrigued because I also like pretty much all baked goods made with oats.

These cookies did not disappoint–me. Or Alex. However, they are not for everyone. The coffee flavor is strong, so John was not a fan, and they are not super sweet, which I think ruled Sammy out. As a matter of fact, I thought they were perfect in the mid morning with tea or coffee (well tea for me, coffee for anyone else). They are not really a great after dinner dessert, when you are craving something sumptuous and sweet.

I should also tell you that I radically changed the filling that Gourmet called for. They called for a filling made with powdered sugar and Irish whiskey. I skipped it not just because of the alcohol and my kids (alcohol that would not get cooked off, unlike the alcohol in the cookies), but also because I wanted something a little less sweet and a little more complex than powdered sugar. So I made some with a bittersweet chocolate ganache, drizzled with an espresso ganache and some with just the espresso ganache. If I were to do it all over again I would only use the espresso ganache because it was really, really good. It occurs to me now that you could also choose to skip the sandwiching of the cookies, thus making them sweeter.

Note: This is a very dry dough that must be vigorously kneaded to come together. Because of this is it is easy to roll out but also a little frustrating as it tears easily. Just patch the pieces up and proceed, it will be fine.

Irish Coffee Heart Crunchies
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookie Book

the cookie:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 t Irish whiskey
2 t espresso (I used instant espresso to make it)
1 t heavy cream
1 vanilla
2 cups quick cooking oats or old fashioned oats that have been pulsed in a food processor until broken up
1 cup AP flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder

the filling:
3/8 cup (1/4 cup plus 2 T) heavy cream
2 t instant espresso
4 oz white chocolate, chopped (use a good white chocolate with cocoa butter)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the Irish whiskey, espresso, heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the oats along with the flour mixture and mix until combined. Knead to finish the mixing.

Roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter of about 2 1/4-inch diameter, cut out the shape of your choosing and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone.

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting. Drizzle extra ganache on top of the cookies if desired.