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The Ischler: Almonds, and apricots and chocolate—oh my!

12/15/2014

15 Comments

 
Almonds, and apricots and chocolate—oh my!     After rolling and cutting Christmas sugar cookies and gingerbread this week, the Ischler strikes me as a very sophisticated and upscale cookie, a “step into my parlor,” sort of cookie, not the kind of thing I would include in a lunch pail for a lumberjack (if I were ever to meet a lumberjack, that is).

A deceptively simple recipe, the Austrian Ischler combines ground almonds in the dough with apricots and chocolate filling.   The combination makes for an outstanding cookie, first nutty and crumbly, then that fruity and chocolate finish. 




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The chilled dough ready to be rolled flat. I love my flour wand! Rose recommends rolling the dough with a sheet of plastic wrap on top to help prevent sticking and I heartily concur.
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When rolling, approach the dough kindly, but with authority. Use short strokes from the center and be sure to turn the dough frequently on the board. It is an established fact that pastry and cookie dough has a natural affinity for kitchen counter tops. If not handled carefully, the dough will fuse with the counter top. Temperature is a large part of this molecular equation. Once this immutable bond has formed, no amount of wheedling will coax your carefully cut shapes off the board. Your only choice will be to scrape it all off and re-roll it. Therefore, wield your rolling pin attentively on a lightly floured board and turn the dough often!
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The cookies are cooling, with golden edges and flecks of almond visible on the wafers.
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I made the chocolate ganache with two parts bittersweet to one part milk chocolate to accommodate my husband's preference for sweet chocolate.
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Spreading the wafers with strained apricot preserves...
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...and then topping them with a second cookie spread with the chocolate ganache.
I ran out of the apricot preserves and used my homemade peach melba jam for the last six cookies.  That peach and raspberry flavor combination, while not traditional for the Ischler, proved to be delicious!  

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The Ischler--so elegant, so delicious!
Several weeks ago, Rose posted a recipe on her blog for Glocker Marzipan Bâtards, another almond cookie, that one chewy, glazed with strained apricot preserves and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. (http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2014/11/an_amazing_new_cookie_for_the.html#more).

They are divine!  The Ischler and the Glocker Bâtards are close cousins in flavor, with the Ischler striking the additional chocolate note.  If I had to choose between the two of them, I prefer the Glocker Bâtards.  


GIVEAWAY THIS WEEK!! 

Rose’s fans probably remember her post about the Crack ‘Em, a little spoon rest with a built in ridge to make cracking eggs quick, clean and completely foolproof.  I really like this little gadget, and thought it would be fun to share one with a fellow baking enthusiast!  So, everyone who leaves me a comment anywhere on my blog until Saturday, December 20 will be entered to win a Crack ‘Em.  Thanks for visiting and good luck!  
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www.crackemeggs.com
15 Comments
Raymond
12/15/2014 01:40:43 am

These turned out great. I thought they were very good but I really am not much of a cookie eater and I find making cookies just too tedious when there are so many other things I would rather be making.

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Rosa Maggie
12/15/2014 02:06:26 am

Hi Michelle, love your post and your write up in your pictures to the wonderful and your cookies look very delicious, I'm going to make them again.

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Glori Berkel link
12/15/2014 03:46:58 am

Such an accurate description of the dough. Very persnickety to say the least. Great photos and your cookies look good.

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Kimberlie Robert link
12/15/2014 05:21:09 am

Hi Michele, Didn't the dough get sticky surprisingly fast? I think your photos and description are great. Really easy on the eyes (wink). Your finished cookies look wonderful. Really good post.

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Catherine
12/15/2014 09:21:21 am

I don't know what a flour wand is but I definitely want one! Your cookies look lovely.

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ButterYum link
12/15/2014 09:41:43 am

Thanks for hosting this giveaway! Love the idea of filling these with a melba jam - good idea!

Patricia @ ButterYum
http://www.butteryum.org/roses-alpha-bakers/2014/11/6/tbb-the-ischler

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Mendy link
12/15/2014 10:45:50 am

ב''ה

Glad you liked these. Enjoyed your rolling advice.

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Marie link
12/15/2014 11:17:20 am

There are still honest-to-goodness lumberjacks in Minnesota, and I'm going to offer an Ischler to the first one I see. I'll be curious to see if he gobbles it down or says it's too hoity-toity for the likes of him.

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Michele
12/15/2014 09:20:01 pm

We have lumberjacks in the piney woods of North Carolina, although I don't know any of them personally! I would think an Ischler cookie wouldn't be hearty enough fare to be first choice in a lumberjack's lunchbox, but do let me know what you find out on that score, Marie!!

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Nicola
12/16/2014 02:45:21 am

Ha ha ha ha still laughing about the immutable law of dough and bench tops! Great looking cookies and fascinated by the concept of peach Melba jam...

Nicola

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Barbie Izlar
12/16/2014 09:39:51 am

Oh my goodness, I could do with a real cookie, especially one with such a name - classy! Love your substitution, too.

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Amy Nguyen
12/17/2014 10:12:43 am

Oh my Michele! These look sooo good! I love apricot preserves. Very tasty looking and made with love!

Amy

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Jill
12/19/2014 01:34:08 pm

Michele, your cookies look terrific!

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NancyB
12/20/2014 10:17:14 am

I've encountered that law of countertops and cookie dough!

Peach/raspberry and chocolate sounds wonderful. So many fruits pair well with chocolate...

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inthekitchen link
12/21/2014 05:30:55 am

Your cookies are beautiful! And your peach mebla jam sounds amazing!!

I really like the look of them with the cookie cutter you/Rose used so will need to buy a set of those (would be great for making linzer cookies as well)!

Sorry I missed the giveaway...will be more prompt in the future :)

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