Garabatos
When I was a little girl, I would sneak downstairs with my cat Lider, while my sister and parents were asleep, and search the cupboard for the doily-lined tray that held these chocolate “sandwiches” decorated with an amusing chocolate scribble. I think these cookies were the first solid that my little brother ate. Garabatos are still baked in the home of a lovely woman named Elvira Bleyer. She extended her home kitchen, attached a storefront to it, and named it Délvis. The bakery has expanded and is now a franchise. These cookies are not part of the traditional Mexican repertoire, but they are part of my culinary memory growing up in Mexico City and are still served for dessert. This version was developed through a collection of recipes from friends and colleagues, but mostly from palatable memory.
The filling and topping can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Warm carefully in a microwave oven or water bath before using.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 20
Ingredients
Cookies
Chocolate Filling
Topping
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
TO MAKE THE COOKIES, place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it starts coming together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until you have a soft, uniform dough. Roll into a ball and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. With a cookie cutter or glass, cut out forty 2-inch circles (with straight or ridged edges) and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart. (You can re-roll scraps up to 3 times, if necessary.)
Step 3
Bake until firm to the touch and sightly brown around the edges (make sure they are still white in the center), 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4
TO MAKE THE FILLING, bring a saucepan of water to a simmer over low to medium heat. Place the chocolate in a metal bowl, set over the saucepan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, and cook, stirring often, until completely melted, 7 to 10 minutes.
Step 5
Remove from the heat and set aside the saucepan with water. Add the butter, sour cream, corn syrup, and vanilla to the melted chocolate, and stir until well combined, being sure not to aerate the mixture. Place a small piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture and let cool to room temperature.
Step 6
TO MAKE THE TOPPING, return the saucepan of water to a simmer over low to medium heat. Combine the milk, confectioner’s sugar, and chocolate in a metal bowl and set over the saucepan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, and cook, stirring often, until completely melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cocoa butter and continue cooking until a smooth glaze is formed, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
Step 7
Flip over 20 of the cookies. Using a piping bag fitted with a flat tip, or two spoons, spread about 1 tablespoon of filling on each of the flipped cookies. Place the remaining 20 cookies on top to make a sandwich and press down slightly to ensure the filling reaches the edges and is evenly spread.
Step 8
Drizzle the warm chocolate topping over the cookies so that the top looks like a scribble. Let cool on a wire rack.
