These are a great favorite for adult and kids. When I was a kid I loved Devil Dogs — these are the uptown versions. The filling isn't made with hydrogenated vegetable shortening. Instead the pies are filled with real ingredients. One warning to Leite Culinarians, though: They're addictive. — Tish Boyle, Oct. 14, 2003

Make the cookies
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter two baking sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until well blended. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir the baking soda into the hot water. Adding one-third of each ingredient at a time, alternately add the hot water mixture, buttermilk, and dry ingredients, ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until combined.

4. Using wet hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Moisten your palm and flatten each ball into a 1 1/4-inch disk. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 5 to 7 minutes, until their surfaces are cracked; the cookies will still be quite soft, but they will firm up as they cool. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the confectioners' sugar with the butter at medium speed until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and beat at high speed until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until blended.

Assemble the cookies
1. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with 1 heaping teaspoon of filling each. Top with the remaining cookies and press them together gently. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

 

On 9.7.07 Augustina L. wrote:
I've made these twice already. They are quite delicious — luscious and chocolaty, without being overly sweet. My yield did not come out to the 28 pies, however, as stated; it was more like half of that. Still, definitely a dessert I will go to often. Great for potlucks!

On 9.30.07 Lovell Brown wrote:
Love them better than the Oreo Cakesters Nabsico has come out with. I can make them as big or as small as I want.