Sensational Chocolate-Almond Sandwiches
Submitted by gooroo75
Chocolate-almond sandwich cookies with ground almond cocoa wafers and whipped white chocolate ganache filling. An elegant, slice-and-bake cookie that keeps for a week.
YIELD
28 cookiesPREP
6 hrsCOOK
11 minREADY
6 hrsThese chocolate-almond sandwich cookies are the kind of thing you’d find in a Parisian patisserie, not a cookie jar. Thin, crisp cocoa wafers made with ground almonds and butter, sandwiched with a cloud of whipped white chocolate ganache. They’re a project, yes, but the result is a cookie that looks and tastes like it came from a professional bakery.
The cookie dough starts by grinding blanched almonds with sugar to a fine powder in the food processor. This almond flour base gives the wafers a delicate, sandy texture that’s crumbly and rich. Cocoa powder turns them deeply chocolate without being too sweet, and the dough comes together with just butter. No eggs at all.
Chilling the logs for a total of 6 hours (2 hours, then reshape and chill 4 more) is what makes thin, even slicing possible. The first chill firms the dough. Rolling again after 2 hours corrects the flat bottom that develops from sitting on the shelf. The second, longer chill locks in a perfectly round shape.
The white chocolate ganache is made by pouring boiling cream over chopped white chocolate, cooling it, then whipping it until light and fluffy. This whipped ganache is lighter and more spreadable than a standard ganache, and the contrast between the dark, bitter cocoa cookie and the sweet, creamy white chocolate filling is what makes these sensational.
Chef Tips
- Watch these closely during baking. Cocoa cookies burn on the bottom easily and you won’t see it on the dark surface until it’s too late
- Use a thin, sharp knife for slicing the chilled logs. A dull knife compresses the dough and creates uneven cookies
- Match cookies by size before filling. Mismatched pairs look sloppy and don’t sandwich evenly
- Chill the ganache until cold and thick but not set before whipping. Too warm and it won’t hold air; too cold and it’s impossible to spread
Variations
- Use dark chocolate ganache instead of white for a double-chocolate sandwich
- Add ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the dough for a more pronounced nut flavor
- Roll the ganache edges in chopped pistachios or toasted coconut for a decorative finish
Ingredients
Directions
Cookies: Grind almonds with sugar in food processor to a fine powder.
Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into a medium bowl.
Cream butter in a large bowl.
Add almond mixture; beat until smooth and fluffy.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in cocoa mixture.
Dough will seem dry at first, but stir until it comes together.
Divide dough in half.
Spoon each half onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Roll in a log, about 1½ inches in diameter.
Wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours.
Roll each log again to an even round shape.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375℉ (190℃).
Cut each log in about ¼ inch thick slices with a thin sharp knife.
Put slices on ungreased baking sheet, about 1½ inches apart.
Bake 10 to 11 minutes or until cookies are just set; they burn easily on the bottom.
Carefully transfer to racks with a metal spatula; cool completely.
Ganache: Put white chocolate in a small bowl.
Bring cream to a full boil in a small heavy saucepan.
Pour over chocolate all at once.
Stir with a whisk until mixture is smooth.
Cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with whisk, until cold and thick, but not set.
Whip mixture at high speed 3 minutes or until lighter in color and thickened.
Spread about 2 teaspoons ganache on flat sides of half the cookies.
Sandwich each with a flat side of a second cookie, choosing cookies of the same size to put together.
Refrigerate 15 minutes to set before serving.
Cookies can be kept, covered, 1 week in the refrigerator.
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