How long has it been since you've eaten a Keebler Fudge Stripes™ Cookie? I'm guessing it's been way too long.
Today, we're going to make childhood-favorite, Copycat Keebler Fudge Stripes™ Cookies. (Psst...they're better than the store-bought!)
*this recipe is sponsored by my friends at Imperial Sugar.
August signals the beginning of "cookie season" in my book. Back-to-school means back to cookies. If there's one thing Jack could count on on the first day of school, it was homemade cookies waiting for him when he came home. (Those cookies were accompanied by an interrogation along the lines of, "What did you do?" "Is your teacher nice?" "Who did you eat lunch with?" etc., etc.)
What do Copycat Keebler Fudge Stripes™ Cookies taste like?
Fudge Stripes™ Cookies are shortbread cookies glazed on the bottom with a layer of chocolate fudge coating. That fudge is also piped on the top of each cookie in four stripes. Fudge. Striped. Cookies.
That fudge layer really makes the shortbread cookies sing. I'm not a lover of shortbread cookies, but THESE cookies?!? Oh, I'm a fan. When I finalized the recipe, I planned to give most of these cookies away. My husband had other ideas and pleaded with me to keep these "in-house." It wasn't his worst idea. Ha.
"I promise these will bring a bit of nostalgia to after-school snacks or lunchboxes. They might even be the highlight of the school day!"
How to make Copycat Keebler Fudge Stripes™ Cookies
What does a box grater have to do with making cookies? You'll find out.
First, make the simple shortbread cookie dough. This cookie dough is super straightforward to make and comes together quickly. Cut with circle cookie cutters in two sizes or use a donut cookie cutter. Don't get too hung up on the size here...around 3-4" cookies are great. Mini cookies would be darling, too! You'll just need to watch the bake time.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, you'll transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Immediately, use the small holes of a box grater to make a pattern in the hot cookies. The Keebler Fudge Stripes™ Cookies have a subtle pattern on the top, and this is a nod to that. You can totally skip this part if you want.
Once the cookies are cooled, you'll make the "fudge" coating. It's made with chocolate chips, shortening, and corn syrup. The shortening helps the chocolate set, and the corn syrup makes the coating more "fudgy" as opposed to plain chocolate.
I can hear the questions now...Can I omit the shortening? Do I have to use the corn syrup? Guys, you can leave out both - the melted chocolate will still be yummy. It just won't be quite the same. :) You could even use tempered chocolate. The cookies will be delicious, just not exactly the same.
Once the fudge coating is set, the cookies are ready to eat. Do store these in the fridge or in a chilled lunchbox, though, as the fudge can get a bit messy if at room temperature or warm.
I promise these will bring a bit of nostalgia to after-school snacks or lunchboxes. They might even be the highlight of the school day!
I'm sharing the full recipe over on Imperial Sugar. Go get it!
