ALMOND DELIGHTS WITH CHOCOLATE ALMOND FILLING

ALMOND DELIGHTS WITH CHOCOLATE ALMOND FILLING image

Yield 24 delights

Number Of Ingredients 12

1/4 cup blanched almonds
2 sticks unsalted butter cut into 16 equal pats
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 recipe Chocolate Almond Filling as follows:
3 ounces semi-sweet good quality baking chocolate broken into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
pinch salt
1 cup confectioners sugar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned 8 to 10 minutes remove from the oven and let cool. Use the metal blade of a food processor to chop the almonds finely 6 to 8 pulses reserve. Process the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy about 20 seconds, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the flour, salt and almond extract and pulse 8 to 10 times or until well mixed, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll a rounded half tyeaspoon of dough at a time into a ball the size of a marble. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the center of the preheated oven until firm but not brown 10 to 12 minutes. Place them on a wire rack to cool Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the Chocolate Almond Filling on the bottom of 1 cookie. Place anothe cookie bottom side down on the filling and press lightly