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Big Black Dog: Nuts to You! **Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot

December 8, 2009

Nuts to You! **Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot


There's really no reason why I chose Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies as my seventh cookie for our 12-Days of Cookies Extravaganza except I thought the cookies were pretty! It's just an innocent cookie and I had no idea I would be heading into cookie combat! But I was not taken by surprise and since I had chocolate on my side and apricots as my right flank, I was very prepared. Bring it on........

Okay "Bon Appetit" this is my first official smackdown!

I have baked cookies forever. I've made 100's of recipes. I've created my own cookie recipes. I've added this and that, sweet and savory, even used fresh fruit and have always produced a good cookie. But yesterday I had my first cookie failure and it was a total failure. Nothing I tried saved this recipe. I know some will say "it's your flour" or "it's your oven" and I'm going to flat out say the problem was the recipe!

I knew this recipe was going to be touch and go when I was mixing it up. The cookie dough had the consistency of frosting. How in the world can you make cookies with dough that is soft like frosting? So I thought if I refrigerated the dough for 24 hours it might help. But in the morning the dough was still much too soft.

Since the dough was like frosting, the logical thing to do is pipe the cookies. So I got out my pastry bag and largest star tip and piped 2 1/2" bars. And after baking and cooling the bars, I thought I'd dip one end of the cookie into chocolate, sprinkle with chopped nuts and the cookies would look delicate and Christmasy and gorgeous!! The cookies piped beautifully and as I popped the full cookie sheet into the oven, I thought all the problems were behind me. But within three minutes of baking the cookies were completely melted into one big paper-thin mass of cookie dough! FAIL! Double FAIL! No, make that a Triple FAIL!

So I got to work and made a new cookie dough, MY WAY! For reference I used Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies which is the recipe that failed and King Arthur's Almond Cookies with Praline Chocolate Filling.

And my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot were fantastic and so much fun to make!



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Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

Cookies:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly whipped
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. Almond Meal

Topping or Filling:
8 oz of semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4-5 dried apricots, finely minced

Mix the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, egg, salt and almond meal. While mixing gradually add flour.

Chill at least 4 hours.

Cookies can be rolled out to 1/4" thick and cut into shapes. Or 1 tsp of dough can be rolled into a ball and flattened by crisscrossing with a fork or palm of hand or you can use a cookie press or cookie mold.

Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Remove to cooling racks.

Chocolate Decoration:
Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes.

You can either drizzle by dipping a fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies. Or you can dip half the cookie into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle minced apricot on top of chocolate while it is still warm.

And you also can make a sandwich cookie: Place half of cookies, bottom side up, on work surface. Spread chocolate on the back of 1 cookie careful to leave a small border near the edge. Sprinkle the chocolate filling with some minced apricots. Top each with another cookie, gently pressing to adhere.

Set chocolate by placing cookies in refrigerator for 8-10 minutes.


Below is a picture of the Walnut Cookie Mold I used to make my cookies. I've had the molds for a long time now maybe 4-5 years and as I remember I ordered them from Amazon. Molded cookies are easy, yet time consuming to make but I love the effect of a molded cookie!!

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Susan @ Thoughts from Over the Rainbow is having a Deck the Halls Party and I'm entering my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot. Please visit Thoughts from Over the Rainbow and see some more wonderful holiday ideas, I know you will enjoy it!







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project



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All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog



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34 Comments:

Anonymous Heather said...

Awwww love that nut form! I can see how doing that to all the cookies would make me - nuts however... ha ha ha. I slay me.. ;-) I think I want these. Now.

December 8, 2009 at 5:33 PM  
Blogger Kim said...

Oh no Michelle! I get so frustrated when things go wrong in the kitchen like that. Sounds like you tried every trick to get them to cooperate and in the end the cookies you made are so cool. I love those little nut molds. Who are the lucky recipients for all these cookies?

December 8, 2009 at 5:46 PM  
Blogger Joanne said...

You showed that cookie recipe! Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. I bet yours turned out way better than the Bon Appetit version would have. They certainly look delicious!

I wish I knew enough about baking to just come up with a cookie recipe on the spot, but I guess that practice makes perfect...

December 8, 2009 at 5:53 PM  
Blogger Rachael said...

I am soo sorry I had that problem with a bread recipe. The recipe called for 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice. The bread smelled soo good cooking but tasted like UGH! Im glad your recipe turned out well!

December 8, 2009 at 6:20 PM  
Blogger YankeeQuilter said...

Oh no I feel your pain! My family thinks I'm crazy for doing recipe testing the weeks before Christmas...I should send them to your post! (BTW...those molds are very fun!)

December 8, 2009 at 7:10 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

they must've had an editing error in the recipe! Thats aweful!!! Im glad you were able to come up with your own successful beautiful cookie.

December 8, 2009 at 7:22 PM  
Blogger Maria said...

I love how cute these are! I bet they taste amazing too!

December 8, 2009 at 8:05 PM  
Anonymous Megan said...

I hate it when a recipe fails - I had a chocolate chip marble cookie fail miserably on me last week. I'm not smart enough to know how to rework a recipe, so perhaps I should send it to you!

December 8, 2009 at 8:21 PM  
Blogger Carol said...

Thank you for that recipe! Looks so good!

December 8, 2009 at 9:03 PM  
Anonymous kellypea said...

Wow! I'd call this a very effective punt! Gorgeous cookies and flavors (sucker for apricot I am) and especially after you had to deal with the much dreaded s-p-r-e-a-d. I hate that. And I know it's not your oven because I have that oven and it never makes mistakes. Nice job!

December 8, 2009 at 9:09 PM  
Anonymous Kayte said...

I can't believe you had a fail...you are the fail-less one! I always think of you as the pro in everything kitchen, so I figure this was not your fault at all. Love, love, love the nut cookie mold, so nice and such fun.

December 8, 2009 at 9:09 PM  
Blogger Sandy Smith said...

I am IN LOVE with your mold. I've never seen anything like it! Your cookies are beautiful!

December 9, 2009 at 6:04 AM  
Blogger pam said...

Cookie failure is why I don't bake. Oh, and cake failure and pie failure are also in the top three.

December 9, 2009 at 6:58 AM  
Blogger Kat said...

What a beautiful plate of cookies! It is very frustrating when a recipe fails. Glad you were able to over come that. Great job.

December 9, 2009 at 7:00 AM  
Anonymous katrina said...

Oh my goodness - I LOVE that mold! And the combination of almond/chocolate/apricot is a classic and delicious combination - yum! I think you came through the frustration of a bad recipe very well!

December 9, 2009 at 9:09 AM  
Blogger Judy@nofearentertaining said...

Hehehe! I had trouble like that with the chocolate stars! Exactly like frosting.

December 9, 2009 at 9:14 AM  
Blogger Rosy said...

You go Michelle! I love the mold you used. they look so much better then Bon Appetit.

December 9, 2009 at 9:58 AM  
Blogger Ria Mathew said...

Love those cute li'l cookies!So glad that you had a success!

My new post might be something you could try for these 12 days of cookies :)

December 9, 2009 at 10:47 AM  
Blogger The Quintessential Magpie said...

You, temptress, YOU! Those nut forms are ADORABLE. Who wouldn't want to eat something that cute!

XO,

Sheila :-)

December 9, 2009 at 11:12 AM  
Blogger Allison said...

Oh, it was definitely the recipe. When you try so many, it's bound to happen every now and then. The cookies you made instead are *gorgeous,* though. Good job taking that lemon of a recipe and making lemonade.

December 9, 2009 at 11:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those are so cute! I love the almond shape! I'm glad you were able to have success after your frustration.

December 9, 2009 at 7:26 PM  
Blogger Di said...

I love the walnut mold--very cool. I had a fail yesterday, too, and am in the process of reworking the recipe. Frustrating when that happens.

December 9, 2009 at 10:00 PM  
Blogger SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I hate when that happens but it sounds like you turned a sow's ear into a silk purse :) I love those molds!

December 10, 2009 at 10:08 AM  
Blogger Brian the old man said...

Ooo, They look so yummy. I wish I could participate but I have to stay away from the cookies right now. I still have some more weight to lose even though I have already lost 143 pounds. Sorry I haven't been by in awhile, I'm sure you know why and the many things that have been going on in my life right now. I'm looking forward to starting up with the HBinFive recipes in January. I talked with my mother over Thanksgiving and she is probably going to get a copy of the book for herself. Hope you are enjoying your holiday season. Merry Christmas.

December 10, 2009 at 6:30 PM  
Blogger Cristie said...

Formed cookies! So much work and so perfect, every single one! You have great tenacity getting the cookies done today! Congratulations.

December 10, 2009 at 9:32 PM  
Anonymous Cheryl B. said...

I've noticed that you use almonds a lot. Funny, they are one of the few nuts I do not care for! At all! In fact, I think adding them to green beans totally ruins perfectly good green beans o;-p

However, both my best friend and my MIL love almonds, so upon many occasions I have made them 'almond bars'. I got the recipe from a fellow mom who had headed up the schools fund raiser auction years ago, which we oversaw the serving of the food for.

While I don't personnally like almonds, I do think that your almond shaped almond cookies are extra cute!

December 13, 2009 at 8:54 AM  
Blogger Denese said...

Your cookies are just lovely! I'll bet they taste yummy, too. :)

December 13, 2009 at 9:37 PM  
Blogger Kammy said...

YUMMO ! I love almond.....The little molds are cool !
Kammy

December 14, 2009 at 7:19 PM  
Blogger susan said...

Doesn't that make you want to scream!! Someone's head should roll :) Love the new version...praline and chocolate...heaven! Thanks forl linking to "Deck the Halls"!!

December 14, 2009 at 8:54 PM  
Blogger The Fajdich Times said...

Your cookies look wonderful! Love that nut mold:)

December 15, 2009 at 9:27 AM  
Blogger Sarah said...

Looks yummy and so tempting. Love the idea of a nut cookie.

December 15, 2009 at 11:04 PM  
Blogger Ldy ~~ Dy said...

These are the prettiest cookies and they look like the yummiest cookies too! I really like the look of walnuts.

December 16, 2009 at 2:58 AM  
Blogger Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I love that tray of cookies. It is one of the most attractive, I have seen.

I want that nut cookie cutter. Do you know if they are for sale, somewhere now?

January 1, 2010 at 12:51 PM  
Blogger Michelle said...

Sweet and Savory,

You can buy the Walnut Cookie mold at King Arthur Flour.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/filled-cookie-molds-set

January 1, 2010 at 1:28 PM  

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