Do you remember the last time that you were in the supermarket on the cookie aisle and you saw those very expensive cookies in the white bag? Well, the Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies will definitely remind you of one of the more popular types, which will go unnamed! This is a crisp, thin cookie that’s delicious on its own, but incredible when sandwiched around a layer of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. It’s equally amazing with Nutella in the center.
The recipe is an adaptation of Julia Cookenboo’s Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook.
I first posted this recipe on February 3, 2013, and decided to update the post with new pictures, improved text and a video.
Toasting the Almonds
The recipe calls for a cup of toasted whole natural almonds. Therefore, I had to remove the skins before toasting the almonds. Removing the skins is a bit time-consuming. However, it’s really quite easy to remove the skins. First, I blanched the almonds in boiling water for 3 minutes. Then, I drained and cooled the almonds. Next, I pinched the almonds between my fingers and she skins popped right off!
Once I had removed the skins, I toasted the almonds in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The reason that it took so long was that the almonds were still wet from the blanching.
Ingredients for Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies:
I used the following ingredients for these awesome cookies: Toasted almonds, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, baking powder, salt, egg, vanilla extract and all-purpose flour.
Making the Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Making the Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
The first thing that I did was to process the toasted almonds with 3 Tablespoons of sugar in the bowl of my food processor fitted with the chopping blade until they were finely ground. The reason that I added the sugar was to keep the almonds from turning into a paste from releasing too much oil from the blade’s friction.
Next, I beat the room temperature butter with 3/4 cup of sugar until it was light and fluffy. I used my hand mixer for this on the high setting. This took around 3 minutes.
Then I added the egg, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt to the butter/sugar mixture. After that, I continued beating the mixture on high until everything was well incorporated. I know that baking powder and salt are considered dry ingredients and that recipes traditionally call for sifting them with the flour. I always add them to the wet ingredients because I think that they stand a better chance of being evenly incorporated via the beating process.
Next, I added the ground almonds and beat the mixture on medium until it was smooth. Finally, I gradually beat in the flour on low-speed just until it was well mixed. Just to make sure that everything had been mixed, I gave the mixture several additional stirs with my spatula.
The dough was very sticky so I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerated for at least 2 hours.
I used my ice cream scoop to portion out the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. The ice cream scoop had a diameter of 1 1/8-inches. I think that it’s two teaspoons, but it could be 1 1/2 teaspoons. I wish that it would have some indication of actual size on it!
To ensure that the cookies were as uniform as possible, I weighed the dough – each piece was 10 grams! I also rolled the dough into balls. These cookies spread quite a bit, so I made sure that I left around 2-inches between the cookie mounds.
I baked the cookies at 350° F for around 12 minutes until they were lightly browned. When I removed them from the oven, I let the cookies cool for around 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack for final cooling.
After the cookies were thoroughly cooled, I gently melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave (20 second intervals at 50% power). Using a butter knife, I spread the melted chocolate on the underside of a cookie, and placed the underside of another cookie on top, i.e., sandwiched the cookies together.
I ended up with 4-dozen delicious individual cookies, or 2-dozen Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. Yum!
Almond and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole almonds skinned, toasted and cooled (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces), plus 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, process the almonds and 3 Tablespoons of the sugar until the almonds are finely ground. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar on high speed until the mixture is light in color and texture, at least 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add the almond mixture, blending just until smooth. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until smooth. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the dough is thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 5 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop, portion the dough into 48 pieces. Roll the dough into small balls; place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake in center to top third of the oven until the cookies are lightly browned all over, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes. Carefully transfer to wire cooling racks and cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments on 50% power.
- Using a small icing spatula or knife, spread about teaspoon on the underside of a cookie, then sandwich with another cookie, placing them back to back. When the chocolate has cooled and set, store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen single cookies; 2 dozen sandwich cookies. (See Tip 3)
Chula's Expert Tips
- If whole almonds with skin are used, blanch to remove the skins. To blanch, pour boiling water over almonds. Let stand for three minutes. Slip the skins off. To toast the nuts, spread them on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for about 10 minutes. Processing the nuts with sugar keeps them from releasing too much oil from the blade's friction.
- Pecans can be used in place of almonds.
- Omit the chocolate filing to make an excellent wafer-type cookie.
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