Espresso and Lime

Making the chocolate alfajores...
0 In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside for now
2 In a separate bowl, beat together 14 tablespoons of room temperature butter with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar until fluffy
3 Add 3 large egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in with the butter and eggs and mix to combine
4 Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix)
5 Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap
6 Chill the wrapped dough for about an hour or until firm
7 Unwrap the dough and cut the disk in half
8 Place one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and roll the dough to 1/4" - 1/8 inch thickness
9 Remove the top layer of parchment or wax paper and use a round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies
10 Transfer the cut out cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets
11 Transfer the baking sheets into the freezer for 15 minutes
12 Repeat the process with the second half of the dough while the first half chills
13 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
14 Bake the cookies for 8 minutes
15 Transfer the baking cookies onto a cooling rack to cool fully before filling
Make the chocolate ganache filling...
17 Add 4 ounces of chopped dark chocolate into a small bowl and pour 1/2 cup of hot heavy cream over the chocolate
18 Let the chocolate sit untouched for 5 minutes before whisking until smooth
19 Transfer the chocolate ganache into a piping bag or gallon zip lock bag
20 Flip half of the cookies upside down on a cooling rack
21 Cut off a small tip of the bag and add 2 teaspoons of filling onto the “bottom” of half of the cookies
22 Gently press the top onto each filled cookie and allow the sandwiches to sit for 20 minutes or until the ganache sets
Make the chocolate glaze dip...
23 Add 6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into a microwave safe bowl
25 Microwave for 10 second increments until the chocolate just begins to soften (do not microwave until the chocolate is melted)
26 Whisk the softened chocolate and vegetable oil together until smooth and silky
27 Dip the fully set cookie sandwiches into the chocolate glaze and use a fork to flip the cookies until completely covered
28 Use a fork to lift the cookie a bit and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl
29 Transfer the dipped cookies onto a parchment lined plate and allow the chocolate glaze to set before serving