I love sandwich cookies, which are probably the most versatile cookies there is. These sandwich cookies combine almond and chocolate, and are simply delicious and easy to make.

Photo: Natalie Levin
Almond Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate Filling
25-30 sandwich cookies
For the almond cookies:
210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
100 grams (1 cup) almond meal
200 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
70 grams (2/3 cup) sugar powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. amaretto liqueur or brandy
For chocolate filling:
125 grams dark chocolate, chopped
125 ml. (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1 tsp. honey
Some light brown sugar to sprinkle over the cookies
Preparation:
- Cookies: in a food processor with a steel blade, put flour, almond meal, butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and blend until a crumbly mixture is obtained.
- Add in the yolks and the liqueur and continue to blend until large chunks of dough form.
- Bring the dough together with your hands and flatten it to a disc shape. Wrap in a plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough about 3-4 mm thick and cut out round cookies (about 3-4 cm in diameter) and place on a baking pan lined with baking paper.
- Sprinkle some brown sugar over the cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 9-13 minutes, or until golden and set. Cool completely.
- Chocolate filling: chop the bitter chocolate and place in a medium bowl.
- In a small pot, put cream and honey and bring to the boil.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate, wait about a minute and stir until you get a rich, shiny ganache.
- Cool the ganache at room temperature for about 3 hours until it stabilizes.
- When the ganache is stable, mix it well until it is creamy and smooth.
- Fill half the cookies with about 1 teaspoon of chocolate cream and close with another cookie to form a sandwich.
Notes:
- You can add flavors to ganache: cardamom, berries extract, cinnamon, and any other spices that you like.
- You can fill the cookies with any other filling you like.
- Keep the cookies in a closed jar for up to a week.

Photo: Natalie Levin