Maria's Ischli Cookies (Mf)
Submitted by willie2d
Traditional Austrian Ischli cookies with ground almonds, sandwiched with raspberry jam and topped with mocha chocolate icing. A classic European holiday cookie worth the overnight chill.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minIschli cookies are a beloved Austrian tradition, and Maria’s version nails the balance between nutty, buttery shortbread and rich chocolate icing. The dough is closer to a torte base than a typical cookie: ground almonds (or hazelnuts) mixed by hand with butter, sugar, and flour until it just comes together.
After an overnight rest in the fridge, you slice the log into thin rounds and bake until golden. Once cooled, each pair gets sandwiched with seedless raspberry jam, then crowned with a glossy mocha-chocolate icing made from bittersweet chocolate, espresso, and a touch of butter.
The overnight chill is not optional. It firms the butter-rich dough so it slices clean and bakes without spreading. These are the kind of cookies you set in fluted paper cups for a holiday cookie box, and they look like they came from a Viennese pastry shop.
Kitchen Tips
- If grinding your own nuts, pulse with the sugar to prevent them from turning into oily nut butter. Short bursts, not continuous grinding.
- For hazelnuts, toast first, then rub in a towel to remove the bitter skins before grinding.
- Spread the icing at room temperature. Too warm and it slides off; too cool and it tears the cookie surface.
- If the dough feels dry, add a few drops of rum or lemon juice rather than more butter.
Variations
- Use apricot preserves instead of raspberry jam for a more traditional Austrian pairing.
- Skip the coffee in the icing for a straight chocolate version that kids will prefer.
- Roll the dough edges in chopped pistachios before chilling for a green-rimmed presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
If you cannot buy nuts already ground, then grind them in a food 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℉ (200℃) 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 1 1 /4inches 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. (Don’t let it get too firm or it will be hard to spread over cookies. )
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