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Maria's Ischli Cookies

Make Maria's Ischli Cookies at home with Water, Superfine Sugar, and Butter. Scale it up or down for the number of people at the table.

Illustrative photo

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup
• 3 tbsp
• 1 tbsp

Method (preview)

1. 1

   If you cannot buy nuts already ground, then grind them in a 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~ 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.

2. 2

   Form dough into a roll 1 1/4 ″ thick.

3. 3

   Refrigerate overnight in waxed paper or parchment.

4. 4

   Following day preheat the oven to 350~.

5. 5

   Cut dough into 1/4 ″ slices and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.

6. 6

   Remove from oven and cool cookies on a rack.

7. 7

   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.

8. 8

   For a pretty presentation, set them in fluted paper cups.

9. 9

   CHOCOLATE ICING-Melt chocolate with water and sugar.

10. 10

    When melted, add instant coffee and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes.

11. 11

    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.) Yield: 1 1/2 cups.