Order Up!: A Taste of Home: Berger Cookies

Every region has something unique, an item that only the locals know about. In central Maryland that secret, aside from Old Bay, is Berger Cookies. I remember going to The Farm Store as a little girl with my grandparents and getting a fountain soda and a pack of these delicious cookies coated in a thick layer of ganache. And although their recipe is a secret, I think I have concocted something pretty darn close to the original.

Without further ado:

Berger Cookies

Yield: 16 cookies

Ganache

3/4 pound Milk Chocolate

1/4 pound Dark Chocolate

1/2 pound Butter

1 cup Heavy Cream

Cookies

1/2 pound Butter, softened

4 oz Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

10oz All Purpose Flour

For the Ganache:

In a small sauce pot combine the butter and the cream over low heat.
Cut up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat safe bowl.

Once the cream and butter boil, pour over the chopped chocolate. Do not stir the mixture for 7 minutes.
After the 7 minutes has passed, stir the chocolate and cream mixture, with a spatula, until silky and smooth.

Pour into a shallow baking dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Do not stir during this process, it will make the chocolate lose its shine a smooth texture.

For the Cookies

Cream the sugar and the butter together.

Once light and fluffy, add the egg and vanilla.
Slowly stir in the flour until the dough comes together in a ball.
On a greased cookie sheet, place rounded tablespoons of the dough.
Press the centers of the balls down, creating a button shape.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes or until slightly brown. These cookies are very light in color, naturally.
Once baked, allow to cool on the cookie sheet until room temperature.

Assembly