Butterballs With Chocolate Ganache

Total Time: 57 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or 1/2 cup chocolate ganache
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Recipe

• 1 for vanilla sugar, split vanilla bean; scrape out seeds.
• 2 in small bowl, whisk vanilla bean, seeds and sugar.
• 3 cover and let stand overnight.
• 4 cookies: in large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 3 minutes.
• 5 beat in sugar until light and fluffy.
• 6 on low speed, beat in flour just until blended.
• 7 shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• 8 shape dough into 3/4-inch balls; place on a large rimmed baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes.
• 9 meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
• 10 line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 11 place balls on prepared sheets, 1 inch apart.
• 12 bake 10-12 minutes, or just until firm (do not brown).
• 13 cool completely on pans on wire racks.
• 14 spread flat side of half of cookies with jam or chocolate ganache; top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches.
• 15 roll cookies in vanilla sugar to coat.
• 16 for chocolate ganache: put 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, in a bowl.
• 17 in saucepan, heat 1/3 cup heavy cream over medium-high heat just until small bubbles appear around edge of pan.
• 18 pour cream over chocolate; whisk until smooth.
• 19 cool at least 20 minutes, whisking occassionally, or until thickened.
• 20 this chocolate ganache recipe makes about 1/2 cup.