My neighbor last week procured me a pound of Gianduja. (She is a certified culinary professional, and the transaction was totally above board.) The Gianduja is delicious eating all by itself. Very sweet, and I mean that as a compliment. But so sweet it seemed redundant to make a candy or brownie. So I did what I do in a situation like this: I brought my cookbooks to bed in search of a hidden treasure. My search ended in Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts, when I saw her recipe for what she calls "Ethiopian Truffles." The name makes no sense. but the cookie is lovely.
Some kitchen notes:
The recipe says to bake the cookies at 375, but I found it browned them too much, so instead I baked them at 325. That way they remained ivory with just a touch of brown on the bottoms. Also it helps to keep the center of the filling moist.
For the filling I pulsed together equal weights (8 oz) of Gianduja and almond meal.
I neglected to add any salt to the filling, but next time (there will be a next time I expect!) I will add a good teaspoon of fleur du sel.
I got a yield of 36 cookies and I think they are so rich that they will be nice even a bit smaller. The original recipe suggests dividing each dough into forty portions and per Maida that seems just right to me.
