February 14, 2010: Eppie Hearts

Back in my Chicago days, I had the privilege of baking cookies for a very famous sweet tooth -- the one and only Ann Landers. She was a dear friend of Dan Herr, my husband's boss, and they would often meet for dinner. Amusingly, according to Dan, Ms. Landers didn't always wait for the dessert course to enjoy her sweets. Often, she would skip over the customary salad and entree to dive into an array of desserts; meanwhile, Dan would be eating his bouef and vin blanc. I enter the story when Dan asked me to bake a couple dozen of the Viennese chocolate-dipped almond sandwiches that I started baking as he thought his friend, "Eppie," would adore them. And, she did!

Eppie is Ann Lander's nickname and I renamed the cookies after her. The recipe is based on the Ischler Cookies in Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Cookies." The almond wafers that make the sandwich are light and delicate and filled with smooth apricot preserves, then dipped in a chocolate glaze. I decided they would be lovely cut into hearts rather than the plain, round cookie shape of the original. But, I must warn you, these take time and effort to make; I would only make them for a very special valentine!

This recipe is written in memory of Dan Herr, a very dear friend who had an inspiring soul.

EPPIE HEARTS
Ischler Cookies from Maida Heatter's "Book of Great Cookies"

Cookie Dough
8 ounces blanched almonds
2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
10 ounces unsalted butter

Grind the almonds in your food processor to a fine powder. Add the flour, sugar and butter and process until it resembles a coarse meal. Turn the dough onto a board. Schmush the dough together with your hands until it holds together. Then, with the heel of your hand, push (or break) small amounts of dough away from the mass until all the dough has been pushed off. Reform the dough again and repeat the pushing process. When the dough holds together, form it into 2 balls. Place ball between 2 large pieces of waxed paper. Flatten the ball slightly, then, with a rolling pin, roll over the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Make sure the paper stays smooth. Slide a cookie sheet under the rolled-out dough and place in the freezer until the dough is firm and the paper can be pulled off easily. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough is firm, peel off one piece of the waxed paper to release it, then replace it. Then, turn the sheet of dough over and completely peel off the second piece of waxed paper. Using a medium heart-shaped cutter, cut out cookies and place them 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (Reserve scraps, form into a ball, and roll out into sheets as described above.) Bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes, reversing the sheets from top to bottom, front to back, midway through the baking. Be careful not to over-bake; the cookies should remain a light, sandy color. Remove to racks when done to cool.

Filling
3/4 cup smooth apricot preserves

Make sandwiches by spreading the underside of one cookie with a thin coating of apricot preserves. Cover with another cookie, then gently press together.

Chocolate Glaze
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 T Crisco

Melt the chocolate and Crisco in the top of a double-boiler; stir until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl or cup for easier handling. Line cookie sheets with waxed or parchment paper. Dip the cookies halfway into the glaze, gently wiping the bottom against the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place on the paper-lined cookie sheet. When the cookie sheet is full, place it in the freezer briefly to set the glaze, or until the cookies lift easily off the paper. Store the cookies in the refrigerator in an air-tight container between sheets of waxed paper in the.