I had some almond paste over from baking this weekend and thought I’d use it to make some cookies. I wasn’t all that inspired so I returned to the most basic form of cookie dough I know. Not saying it’s not good though, mind you. In fact, when I and my sister were teenagers we would make a batch of this and eat it straight out of the bowl, never mind cookies!!

For the record, I love cookie dough.

And they weren’t hard to make. In fact, after I’d put the dough into the fridge, my broadband connection died, so the actual baking I did with one hand while I had the phone in the other, trying to get in touch with the support.

Am I a skilled food blogger or what?

Anyway, here’s how to:

cookies:

200 gr butter

3 tbs light brown muscovado sugar (I don’t know if maybe you could use any brown sugar. This has a special toffee-like taste, with a hint of something very much like brandy – which was how I came up with the idea for the filling.)

4 dl (1 2/3 cup) flour

1 tsp vanilla sugar (my own)

filling:

about 1 dl (about 1/2 cup) almond paste

1 tbs brandy (I used my finest Marc de Bourgougne , bought on site in Nuits-Saint-Georges, but lacking that, even cognac will do )

1 egg

1. To make the dough, simply mix the sugar and butter (which you can do in a food processor or using a mixer) and add the flour.
2. Knead it into a firm dough and form a long roll out of it, app 1 inch in diameter.
3. Cover it with plastic foil and put it into the fridge for at least 1/2 hour or until it’s hard.
4. Meanwhile, mix the almond paste (store bought like mine or home made if you’re slightly more industrious) with the brandy and egg, also using a food processor or mixer (not saying you couldn’t do it by hand, just that I’m too lazy).
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it into slices – about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Make a little indention in each and put them on a greased baking sheet.
7. Fill the little indention with some filling.
8. Bake them in the oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for about 15 minutes.