TBB - The Ischler

The Ischler that almost never was. It was this week's baking challenge for Rose's Alpha Bakers. Such bad timing for me! I've been battling a really nasty cold all of last week, I really dislike roll-out cookies, and I dislike sandwich cookies even more because for the amount of work you put in, you're only getting half the number of cookies. I deliberated skipping this week's challenge. Then my brain went into problem solving mode: "are there any kind of shortcuts that can be made?". Well, I could make half the recipe, skip any kind of fruit, use the chocolate ganache leftover from the Eclairs I made recently, and use almond meal from the freezer so I wouldn't have to mess with the extra steps of finely chopping the almonds (Trader Joe's sells unblanched almond meal). And so, my "quick(er)" version of The Ischler was born :o)

Ganache dipped Ischler with toasted and chopped almonds

And then I went overboard with shapes, dipping, and chopped almonds.

Did I mention overboard? It did look pretty though!

After making the dough in the food processor the day before, it went into the fridge for an overnight stay. I found it easier to roll out a square piece of dough compared to the traditional round dough.

Just plop the dough in the middle of the plastic wrap and pat it down. Then fold the plastic wrap around it into a square. With your hands or rolling pin, press the dough into the corners.

The next day, the following happened:

Used my round scalloped edged cookie cutter (2.5" diameter)

Fig spread filled Ischler ready to go into my mold

Pecan filled Ischler designed inside a mold I got from Morocco

Some have been shaped into squares using my scalloped pastry wheel

Fig spread filled Ischler. It was yummy!

Only 3 ganache filled Ischlers. The rest are all single cookies, dipped in ganache and then in toasted and chopped almonds.

Double decker Ischlers

Triangular Ischlers

Double dipped Ischlers

Puzzle shaped Ischlers

Half eaten Ischler. Bon Appetit! :o)

Final thoughts/tips:

• These cookies were a big hit. Hubby loved special oval-shaped cookie (that I made in the cookie mold) with the pecans inside. He gave that one a 9 out of 10 rating. After I filled some of my cookies with chocolate ganache, I gave him another sample. He's not a huge chocolate fan, so that one got an 8.5 out of 10 rating. Still pretty decent a non-chocolate lover!
• I loved this cookie. The buttery taste, the hint of almond, and the melt in your mouth texture. I could eat these cookies without pausing.
• At first I was worried because the dough was very sticky, coming out of the food processor. I was afraid that the minimum time of 2 hours wouldn't be enough for the flour to absorb the moisture, so I kept it in the fridge overnight. The next day, the dough was pretty easy to roll out. I covered the dough with lightly floured plastic wrap which made rolling a breeze.
• I baked them for about 8 minutes (4 minutes, rotate, 4 minutes) in my Convection oven at 325F. They had just turned a golden brown around the edges.
• If you'd like to bake these, and you don't have the book yet, you're in luck. You can find the recipe for The Ischler on Rose's blog.