Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Sandwiched



How did it get to be December already?  Time really seems to be getting  away from me.  Which might be why it's taken me until Tuesday morning to actually bake this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.  This week's recipe of Linzer Sablés was chosen by Noskos of Living the Life.  I'm not a big fan of making cut-out cookies, so that might also be why it took me so long to make these cookies.

The dough itself was easy to mix up.  I'm fortunate enough to shop at a store with a great bulk department, so I was able to buy hazelnut meal to try in these cookies.  Since I was down to the wire, I didn't change anything with the ingredients, though another time I might play around with the spices (Dorie calls for cinnamon and a bit of cloves).  Rather than roll the dough out and chill it, I took the easy way out.  Or so I thought... =)  


I scooped the dough out with my #70 disher, and rolled it into balls.  Then I rolled the balls in turbinado sugar and placed them on a baking sheet.  I put them in the oven, but then realized that they might not flatten out enough.  So I pulled the sheet back out of the oven and flattened the balls with the bottom of a glass.  Which was where things got a bit difficult--the dough stuck a little to the glass.  I thought it was because the dough was warm.  Turns out, that might have made it easier--when I did the second sheet with colder dough, they stuck a lot worse.  Something to figure out for next time.  I baked them for about 12 minutes, just until they were getting brown around the edges.  

I thought chocolate would be good with the hazelnut in the cookies, so while they were baking, I mixed up some ganache.  A least that was easy.  When the cookies were cooled, I sandwiched a few of them together with the chocolate.

one of my favorite teas is Tazo Awake; not sure how much it helps with the sleep-deprivation, but it tastes good =)

The verdict?  I'm still not sure on this one.  I liked the taste of the dough. =)  I think the flavors need more time to meld, which might be because I didn't chill the dough at all.  And a lot of times spice cookies are better after a day or two.  I'll have to see what I think of these tomorrow.  I liked them with the chocolate.  I think I'll do a few with jam as well, so see if I like them that way.  (I only sandwiched a few to take pictures.)  And none of my other taste testers are here right now.  (I have the day off; Jamie's at work and the girls are at school.)

Thanks to Noskos for this week's recipe--it was something I haven't tried before, which is always fun.  You can find the recipe on his blog.  And of course, you can check out lots of other cookies from the other TWD members if you check out the blogroll.  


26 comments:

  1. they look absolutely delicious! I loved them. The ganache oozing from yours looks so good. :)

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  2. They do look really good. I was not sure how I would like the spices either. I am not a big clove fan, but I was surprisingly pleased. The cookie dough smells great and tastes better. Also, I love the same store! It is an awesome place! Thanks for the link. I signed up for the food-e newsletter.

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  3. pity you didn't like them as much as i did. Nonetheless these look fantastic!

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  4. I'm glad I'm not the only one amazed at how quickly December came. Too bad your easy plan didn't work out - I'm tempted to try it anyways because I hate cutting out cookies so much!

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  5. Your cookies look perfect for not using a cutter. I love the chocolate filling. I thought these cookies were more pretty than tasty.

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  6. I can't being to tell you how many times I have said, "Then I pulled the tray out of the oven...[because I forgot something]" Once it was the eggs!

    They look cute! And what a great store that sells hazelnut meal!

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  7. Looks wonderful.

    Next time I make them, I will use chocolate

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  8. Mmmmm...they look pretty inviting with the filling oozing a bit out the side there. They're by no means my favorite cookie, but they are pretty good. Hope you enjoyed your day off!

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  9. They look great! Way to avoid those cutters and still end up with a really pretty cookie. I hope you like them even more after they set up for a while. And even if you don't, I hope that you enjoy the few hours of peace and quiet that it sounds like you are getting today! :-)

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  10. Cut-outs aren't my favorite either but kudos to you for completing them on time. I couldn't manage it.

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  11. I feel your sleep deprived pain - and this month is just crazy-crazy-crazy!

    And I agree - spice cookies always taste better the next day!

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  12. Oh! Di! The cup is a killer... I can just imagine using it on... EVERY MORNING! LOL
    But not as nice though, as those cookies you baked us! Wasn't it wonderful with chocolate? Up to now, I think we're the only ones who dared it! ...and luckiest, I think! LOL
    It was also an ingenious idea to roll 'em into balls, as contrary to everyone else, I thought the cutting out part, was not easy at all... the soft dough, even when frozen, was hard to manipulate as it tended to defrost pretty quickly.
    Very niiiiiice job Di!

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  13. yum, hazelnuts go perfectly with chocolate! I will have to try that!

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  14. mmmm...tasty ganache! never would know you had a sticking issue--they look delish!

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  15. Oooohhh... ganache. I was gonna do the ganache but I got lazy and didn't wanna make it. Love your coffee mug! I need to find one that says "Beware the sleep deprived wife!" I am so not over my turkey day coma yet. HAHA
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  16. I love the rustic way your cookies look. I'll be interested to see how you liked the jam. I think this dough is well suited to the fruitiness.
    Nancy

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  17. Very nice cookies...they would look so great on a cookie tray with all that goodness oozing out. Love the mug...too funny. Great job...hope you try them with jam...we loved the jam with those flavors in the dough.

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  18. I think they turned out great, and I love your time-saving idea of just rolling them into balls and flattening them.

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  19. I love your way of doing this!!! Much less fussy than the way I did it. They look fab!

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  20. It seems with all of Dorie's cookies, I like them better the next day. I am so jealous that you had hazelnut meal available-that would make it easier too! They look yummy- I just love the nut-studded dough.

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  21. Yum chocolate and hazelnuts! I definitely liked these better the next day!

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  22. Smart way to avoid the cookie cutters!! Your cookies look great :)

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  23. I don't like cut out cookies either, but for Linzer it is a must for me. Your sandwiches look great, well done to make baking easier

    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

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  24. The chocolate just looks like SUCH a good idea. I used raspberry jam and balsamic vinegar, which was nice, but it wasn't my favorite cookie ever.

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