Ye Old Cookie Stack
My sister asked me to make cookies as a gift for her art teacher. I knew I had to make something pretty...afterall she’s an artist, right? I also knew it had to be delicious because my sister’s art class has been the recipient of a lot of my cookie “experiments,” and some of them, although tasty, were not very pretty to look at. A birthday required a delicious and beautiful cookie.
“The cookie is free. The fortune is extra.” Kasha
The answer to the requirements of beauty plus flavor was this delicious Almond-Raspberry Sandwich Cookie. And it was perfect. Happy Birthday!
Cookie specifics
The ground almonds in this cookie make it soft and extra flavorful. The tart raspberry jam filling is a wonderful contrast to the sweet cookie and rolling the sandwiches in granulated sugar while it’s still warm adds a crunchy texture to the whole thing. I really like making sandwich cookies of all kinds and this recipe has made it to my personal “Top 10 Cookies” list.
Shape & Size
This recipe uses a 2-inch round cookie cutter. But other shapes would work as well, like heart shapes for Valentine’s Day. H-m-m. Gonna have to give that a try. Come to think of it, maybe a peek-a-boo window in the top cookie would be fun. Yeah! Stay tuned....
Cookie Recipe from This Wonderful Resource:
Almond-Raspberry Sandwich Cookies. This recipe can be found on the America’s Test Kitchen website but I got it from their cookbook, The Perfect Cookie (published August 29, 2017). I’m a big fan of ATK and have tried many recipes from this cookbook; all of them have been wonderful.
Cookies
Almond-Raspberry Sandwich Cookies: flour, slivered almonds, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt
Fillings
Raspberry Jam: raspberries, pectine, water
Plate, Box or Bag?
Box. My favorite way to gift my cookies is to package them in a cardboard bakery box with a clear window on top that makes the contents visible to anyone who wants to peek. I was able to fit about a dozen and a half of these cookies into the box.
What I’ve learned...
These cookies were made with the best ingredients I could find and baked in a small batch of two dozen. I’ve experimented with less expensive ingredients, but have come to the conclusion that flavor is best when I use the best. Why spend all this time baking and decorating if taste and texture are just so-so? Decorating the cookies takes time, but it’s an enjoyable process for me and I know that those who receive them appreciate that. Life is just better when you can share something you love with someone you love. Don’t you agree?
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