Chocolate Filled Almond Spritz Cookies

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup un-blanched sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 cups bleached all purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped fine
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 6 chunks

Recipe

• 1 on a baking sheet roast almonds until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes, toss every 2-3 minutes allow to cool to room temperature.
• 2 food processor method---------------------.
• 3 grind almonds and sugar in a food processor until very fine.
• 4 cut butter into 16 chunks, with the processor add butter a chunk at a time.
• 5 process until creamy.
• 6 scrape down bowl.
• 7 add egg and extract, process until mixed, scrape down bowl.
• 8 add flour and salt, pulse until just combined.
• 9 scrape into a bowl.
• 10 electric mixer method--------------------------°- .
• 11 whisk flour and salt in a medium bowl.
• 12 cut butter in to 16 pcs, allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature.
• 13 grind almonds to a fine powder (can be done with a rolling pin and a plastic bag).
• 14 in a second medium bowl cream butter, sugar until very light and fluffy.
• 15 add almonds, beat until well combined.
• 16 lightly beat egg and extracts, add to butter mixture, beat until just combined.
• 17 stir in flour and salt until just combined.
• 18 both methods---------------------.
• 19 with a cookie press or pastry bag fitted with a no 22 tip, put cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• 20 decorate with colored sugar, etc.
• 21 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 22 refrigerate cookies on the sheet for 20 minutes, this will help them hold their shape.
• 23 bake cookies one pan at a time for 8-10 minutes (until very lightly browned), rotate pan halfway through the baking to promote even cooking.
• 24 allow to sit on sheet for 3-4 minutes, remove with an angled spatula to a rack.
• 25 cool completely.
• 26 filling----------------------.
• 27 melt 3/4 of the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water (160 degrees or so) (bowl must not touch water).
• 28 when chocolate starts to melt remove from heat and stir until smooth, add remaining chocolate and stir until smooth.
• 29 let the chocolate sit until it's no longer warm to the touch and slowly beat in the butter.
• 30 do not over beat this mixture.
• 31 place the mixture in a freezer bag (corner cut off) or pastry bag and pipe it on to the bottom of 1/2 of the cookies.
• 32 cover with second half to form a sandwich.
• 33 do about 10 at a time as the chocolate mixture will start to set up.
• 34 let cookies set for 2 hours for filling to set 100%.
• 35 store covered in an airtight container for about a month.