3/4 c Honey
3/4 c Sugar
2 tb Unsalted butter
1 c Almonds; finely chopped
1 c Toasted hazelnuts; chopped
1 c Dried sour cherries; chopped
1/2 c Dried apricots; chopped
1 c Candied orange peel; chopped
1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 pn Ground cloves
1/4 ts Freshly grated nutmeg
1 pn White pepper
Vegetable shortening; melted
-and cooled
1 lb Bittersweet chocolate; such
-as Callebaut
OR Valrhona; chopped,
Plus extra for cooling the
-chocolate
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine honey, sugar, and butter in a small
saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the
temperature reaches 238 degrees, the soft-ball stage, on a candy
thermometer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine nuts, dried fruit, flour,
and spices. 2. Pour candy mixture over contents in large bowl stirring with
a wooden spoon to combine. When cool enough to handle, form into 1-inch
balls with hands coated with vegetable shortening to prevent sticking.
Place on a nonstick baking mat and flatten into balls with the palm of your
hand. Bake until bubbled on top, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a
cooling rack. 3. In a medium saucepan, melt 2/3-pound chocolate, stirring
constantly until melted and the temperature is between 110 and 120 degrees
on an instant-read or chocolate thermometer. Continue stirring; add
reserved chocolate to bring the temperature down to 85 to 90 degrees. An
additional chunk of chocolate can be added and removed if necessary to
bring the temperature down. At this point, the chocolate will appear smooth
and shiny. Working quickly, using a small offset spatula, spread a thick
layer of chocolate on the back of each cooled cookie. Using a decorating
comb, create a decorative pattern.
These delicious cookies combine nuts, dried fruits, and a rich coating of
tempered chocolate, and are a delectable holiday treat. Claudia roasts her
hazelnuts in a 350-degree oven just until she begins to smell a toasty
aroma. She then rubs the skins off with a tea towel. Use the best-quality
chocolate you can find — we like Valrhona. Tips for Tempering Chocolate
Work in a room with low humidity, no warmer than 75 degrees. Use couverture
chocolate, which contains at least 32% cocoa butter. As it melts, dark
chocolate should not exceed 120 degrees, milk and white chocolates should
stay below 110 degrees, or it may lose depth of flavor and burn. Leftovers
can be remelted several times, but add a few ounces of never-melted
chocolate to prevent bloom, a whitish surface cast. Water and condensation
cause tempering chocolate to “seize,” or become unmalleable. Bittersweet
chocolate tempers when it cools to between 85 and 90 degrees; milk and
white chocolates temper between 82 and
83 degrees.
Yields
36 servings