Ischli Cookies
Submitted by rotralisa
Ischler cookies are an Austrian classic from Bad Ischl: ground-almond shortbread rounds sandwiched with raspberry jam and crowned with espresso-spiked chocolate icing. Spa-town pastry royalty.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
25 minCOOK
15 minREADY
1 hrsIschler cookies (also called Ischl törtchen) come from the Austrian spa town of Bad Ischl, the Habsburgs’ summer retreat, and they have the unmistakable elegance of old Vienna. Two ground-almond shortbread discs sandwich a layer of raspberry jam, then get crowned with a glossy bittersweet chocolate icing kissed with instant espresso.
The dough is a four-ingredient masterclass: butter, sugar, flour, and ground nuts. Either toasted hazelnuts (skinned after roasting) or almonds work, though the flavor leans hazelnut in traditional Austrian versions. Grind them with some of the sugar to keep the nuts from going oily, then knead the dough together by hand. The overnight chill is not optional. It firms the butter so the slices hold their round shape during baking.
The chocolate finish is a quick stovetop ganache thinned with water and a touch of sugar, lifted by espresso powder so the chocolate flavor reads deeper without tasting like coffee.
Serve in fluted paper cups for the full Viennese-pastry-case effect.
Pro Tips
- Process the nuts in short pulses with a tablespoon of the sugar. Continuous blending releases their oil and turns them into nut butter instead of meal.
- If the dough refuses to come together, add lemon juice or rum a few drops at a time. Water alone tends to over-soften the dough.
- Use seedless raspberry jam. Seeds get caught between the dense cookies and feel grainy.
- Let the chocolate icing cool to spreading thickness before topping. Too warm and it pours off the edges.
Variations
- Swap raspberry for apricot jam for the most classic Austrian version (the Sachertorte filling).
- Replace almonds with skinned hazelnuts and add a tablespoon of dark rum to the dough for adult flavor.
- Dust with cocoa powder instead of icing for a less sweet, more rustic finish.
Ingredients
Directions
If you cannot buy nuts already ground, then grind them in a processor, taking care not to overprocess them or they will turn oily; you can also process them with the sugar to prevent them from turning oily. (Note if you are working with whole hazelnuts, toast them first in a 400~ oven, rub off skins, let cool and then grind.)
Combine the nuts with the butter, sugar and flour; you will have to combine this dough with your hands; if a bit too dry, add drops of lemon juice or rum.
Form dough into a roll 1¼ inch thick. Refrigerate overnight in waxed paper or parchment. Following day preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Cut dough into ¼ inch slices and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.
Remove from oven and cool cookies on a rack.
When cooled to room temperature, sandwich two cookies together with raspberry jam and spread some of the chocolate icing (see below) over the top cookie.
For a pretty presentation, set them in fluted paper cups.
CHOCOLATE ICING-Melt chocolate with water and sugar.
When melted, add instant coffee and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes. Turn heat off, add butter and let icing cool to room temperature.
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