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THE DISH
Coffee/chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with chocolate-coffee filling (Recipe here)

THE INSPIRATION
There are two parts to this (both super literal — sorry dudes, more-creative things coming soon!): TV on the Radio have a new record out, Nine Types of Light; I admit I haven’t spent a ton of time with it yet, but the album closer is called “Caffeinated Consciousness”; that combined with the band’s excellent 2006 album Return to Cookie Mountain? These cookies shouldn’t come as much of a surprise! And yes, they are in a mountain on the plate.

ABOUT THE BAND
For the past decade, TV on the Radio have been making electro-rock music that makes me think of college dance parties and the sea of fist-pumpers that flooded half of Grant Park when I saw the band at Lollapalooza a few years ago. Their 2008 LP Dear Science won that year’s Pazz & Jop critics’ poll, and they’re simply an all-around awesome band. (On an incredibly upsetting note, bassist Gerard Smith passed away from lung cancer about a week ago … I had this post planned before then but still wanted to share it; my heart goes out to the band and Smith’s family and friends.)
TV on the Radio on MySpace

THE RECIPE
Cookies, filling

The cookies (Adapted from Korena in the Kitchen)

Ingredients:

3 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 c dark brown sugar
2/3 c granulated white sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tsp vanilla
2 c chopped dark chocolate OR 2 c mocha chips if you want a stronger coffee flavor (or a combination of both)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl (yes, you need to sift it).
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla-coffee mixture.
• Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined, then stir in the chopped chocolate.
• Scoop teaspoon-sized drops of cookie dough onto lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake about 15 minutes.
• Let cookies cool completely before adding the filling.

Chocolate-coffee filling (Adapted from What’s For Lunch Honey?)

Ingredients:
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c chopped chocolate
4 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 3 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
• Bring cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan (stir as it heats; I took it off the heat when there was a little film around the edges of the pot).
• Pour over the chocolate (in a heat-proof bowl), add coffee-vanilla mixture and mix together until chocolate is melted.
• Refrigerate until thickened to a frosting-like consistency.
• Assemble the sandwiches!