Giada's Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com's 12 Days of Cookies 2008. Giada's Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are built around store bought sugar cookie dough, which makes it a great recipe to whip up with kids. These cookies have a chocolate-peppermint center and then are topped with chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint. Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis. Please note: time does NOT include chill time. Update: I used a 2" round biscuit cutter and was able to get 20 cookies from the batch. I also found it easier to spread the melted chocolate on the top of the cookies with the back of a spoon than to dip the cookies into the chocolate.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 12 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

• 1 (16 1/2ounce) package  refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2  cups  semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1  teaspoon  pure  peppermint extract
• 1  teaspoon  vegetable oil
•  crushed  candy canes or   peppermint candy

Directions

1. Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough. Knead together any scrapes of dough and roll out again. Continue to cut out pastry circles until there re 24 pieces in total. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve 1 parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
2. Combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and the cream in a small saucepan. Place the small saucepan over a medium pan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of the flat side of 12 cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.
3. Combine the remaining chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Once again, place the small saucepan over a medium pan of simmering water until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or crushed peppermint candies. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic container.
4. If you prefer, you can use white, red an green sprinkles or red and green decorating sugar in place of the crushed peppermint candies.