Straight From the Heart Stuffed Cookies

Combining the smokiness of roasted red peppers and the tartness of raspberries in a stuffed cookie may seem unusual, but its a surprisingly tasty duo. Now, imagine enveloping those flavours in a fudgy black cocoa shell.

Well, thanks to this recipe, you can do more than just wonder what that would taste like you can make these treats at home!

And theres the option to dress them up even more, with a drizzle of melted ruby chocolate, some flecks of silver leaf and a little creative sugar work.

Guillaumes Straight From the Heart Stuffed Cookies helped earn him the title of Star Baker for Cookie Week in Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Straight From the Heart Stuffed Cookies

By Guillaume Boivin

Ingredients

Raspberry and Red Pepper Jam:

• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 generous cups (300 g) raspberries
• 1 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp agar-agar powder

Black Cocoa Cookies:

• cup plus 1 tbsp (125 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• cups (150 g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp corn syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
• cup (64 g) black cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Decor:

• Ruby chocolate, melted
• Edible silver leaf
• Spun sugar, optional

Preparation

Raspberry and Red Pepper Jam:

Set broiler to high with the rack about 10 inches from the top element. Place peppers on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred, about 8 minutes.

Combine raspberries, sugar and agar-agar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add charred peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until a candy thermometer reads 220 F, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes before transferring the mixture to a blender. Blitz until smooth and strain through a fine-mesh sieve onto a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the fridge to cool completely.

Black Cocoa Cookies:

Add butter and sugar to a large bowl, and cream with a hand mixer on medium-high. Mix in corn syrup, egg and egg yolk until combined. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add them to the egg mixture and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.

Divide the mixture into 20 equal portions and roll into balls. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, gently pressing down on the balls to flatten. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lightly spray a standard muffin tin with cooking spray. Press one dough ball each into the bottom of 10 cups in the muffin tin, and chill for 15 minutes.

Gently press your thumb into each of the dough rounds to make a well, and fill each with a generous teaspoon of jam. Top them with the 10 reserved dough rounds and press lightly to seal. Chill for another 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 F with the rack in the middle position. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until no longer shiny. Cool for 2 minutes before removing them from the tin to cool completely.

Drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with flecks of silver leaf. Decorate with a sugar cage or other spun sugar, if desired. Leftover jam will keep in the fridge for up to a week. (Its excellent with baked brie!)

Makes 10 stuffed cookies