1 cookie dough
3/4 cup sliced unblanched almonds
2 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
1 all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
1 chilled and cut into inch cubes
1 large egg, chilled
4 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 assembly:
15 oz swiss dark chocolate,
1 coarsely chopped
Make the cookie dough: 1. Position a rack in the center of the oven
and preheat to 375~F. Put three heavy, large ungreased baking sheets
in the refrigerator
2. In a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, process
the almonds with 1 cup of the flour for 3O to 45 seconds, or until
the mixture is ground to a fine powder. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups
plus 2 tablespoons flour; granulated sugar confectioners' sugar and
salt. Process for 10 to 15 seconds, or until the mixture is
thoroughly blended.
3. Evenly distribute the butter cubes in a circle around the chopping
blade. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest. Process for 45 to 60
seconds, or until the mixture is creamy. (Make sure that the butter
is completely blended into the batter)
4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a closed star tip (such as Ateco #6)
with one-fourth of the cookie dough. (Slightly open the teeth on the
end of the pastry tip so that any small nut particles do not get
caught between the points as you pipe.)
5. Remove a chilled baking sheet from the refrigerator. Starting at
the left-hand side of the midsection of the baking sheet, pipe 1
1/2-inch long "cats' paws" about 2 inches apart, across the center of
the baking sheet. (This will enable you to pipe straight and even
lines across the baking sheet.) Continue piping until the bottom half
of the baking sheet is covered with piped cookies. Turn the baking
sheet 180 degrees and continue piping cats' paws onto the other half
of the baking sheet.
6. Refrigerate the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the
piped cookie dough is firm. Pipe the rest of the cookie dough onto
the remaining chilled baking sheets and refrigerate.
7. Bake the cookies one baking sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes,
or until lightly browned. Turn the baking sheet halfway through
baking for even browning. Using a metal pancake spatula, immediately
transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
Assemble the cookies:
8. Melt the dark chocolate according to the melting instructions in
the Chocolate Key OR temper the chocolate following the
tempering instructions on page 72. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a
small heatproof bowl. Place the bowl of chocolate over a smaller bowl
of warm (86~F to 90~F) water.
9. Using a small metal cake spatula, coat the flat side of half of the
cookies with a thin layer of melted or tempered chocolate. Top each
chocolate-coated cookie half with a second cookie. Place the cookies
on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 5 to 10
minutes or until the chocolate is set.
10. Dip the pointed tips of the cookies halfway into the melted or
tempered chocolate. Place the cookies back onto the waxed paper-lined
baking sheet and refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chocolate
is set. Store the cookies dipped in melted chocolate in a airtight
container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The cookies filled
with tempered chocolate may be stored in an airtight container at
room temperature for up to three weeks.
Source: Chocolatier magazine, January 1991 Makes Approximately 35
cookies PREPARATION: 1 1/2 hour plus baking, chilling and cooling
times.
FROM: Sallie (Austin) Krebs From
: Pat Stockett 1:107/614 Fri 02 Jun 95 05:57 ... On the
eighth day, God created cats and was promptly ignored.
~-- GoldED 2.42.G1121 * Origin: The Cafe & General Store - 'Tween
Early & Zephyr, Tx (1:19/102)
Serves: 35
Recipe Categories: Fruit
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