I'm addicted to Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies. They're thin and crisp, with a sweet caramel taste, perfect with a cup of coffee. I walk quickly past them, eyes averted, when I'm in the grocery store. "Don't look, don't look," I say to myself. When I saw these cookies in Martha Stewart Living, they reminded me of my favorite, so I had to make them. Basically, these are a shortbread dough, using dark brown sugar instead of white, which changes the texture of the cookie and provides a caramel flavor. The dough is frozen and later sliced for baking, which I find very efficient. It took a few batches before I figured out how long to bake them. The recipe says 10 minutes, but they were too dark when I left them in the oven that long. So, they need to be monitored carefully. I found that 9 minutes was perfect for me.
The resulting cookies weren't exactly like the Bordeaux, but they were close. Crisp, not too sweet, with a delicious caramel flavor, they seemed to taste better and better with each cookie that I ate.
Then, it happened. I carefully stacked many of the cookies on top of each other for pictures. As I finished taking the pictures, I turned away and accidently knocked them onto the floor. They break beautifully. Wish I had taken a pictures of the shards on the floor. But, I was too busy considering whether I should apply the 5 second rule, scoop the cookie fragments up and eat them. (I wound up throwing them in the garbage.) Thank God, I had a few unbroken cookies left.
Almond Wafers
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
Line 2 mini loaf pans with plastic wrap, or one regular size loaf pan. The regular sized pan gives you bigger ( but fewer) cookies--which is what I wanted.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat the sugar and butter with a mixer for about 4 minutes. Reduce speed and add the eggs and beat until creamy. Add the flour in 3 additions.
Press dough into the pans and wrap well with plastic wrap. Put in the freezer for at least 2 hours or as long as 1 month.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove dough from 1 pan, if using the mini pans. Remove from regular pan if using it. Let dough soften slightly. Cut around 8 1/8 inch slices from the loaf (or as many as you can fit on your baking sheet). Cover the remaining dough and put in the freezer until ready to slice and bake more cookies.
Put slices on a nonstick sheet, about 1-1/2 inches apart. Top each slice with almond slices. Bake until dark brown, around 10 minutes. Check the cookies to determine if they are getting too dark. Let the finished cookies cool on a wire rack. YUM!
You threw those in the trash! Cat hair won't hurt you! I would have blown them off and eaten everyone!
Posted by: MyKitchenInHalfCups | March 26, 2008 at 02:36 AM
and....my mother always said it is OK to challenge your immune system by eating things which have fallen on the floor! I think of that to this day, and I am very healthy!! LOL! Beautiful cookies, Sher.
Posted by: Cape Cod Kitty | March 26, 2008 at 05:43 AM
Those are gorgeous! They sort of remind me of the thin crispy windmill cookies with the sliced almonds. Anyone remember those? My mother and aunt used to love to have them with tea.
We follow the 5 second rule, too. Although, my kids are huge fans of Mythbusters, and the kids always remind me that they busted that one! They say even 2 seconds is too long. What. Ever. We grew up fine, didn't we? hahaha!
Posted by: Elle | March 26, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Oh, Sher! These look wonderful. I'm bookmarking the recipe (me and my cookie madness). :)
Too bad they ended up on the floor - but that's an excuse for you to bake a second batch. :)
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | March 26, 2008 at 07:08 AM
Great minds think alike, I started getting the martha stewart magazine and I saw this recipe on the back page and they looked perfect for my farmers market stand. I was very happy with them, I really liked the spiciness, and they looked pretty. People kept saying they were like 'dutch cookies' or something.
Posted by: Jennywenny | March 26, 2008 at 07:36 AM
I probably would have eaten them - they look so good!!
Posted by: Deborah | March 26, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Since I know my kitties have very clean paws (ahem), I would have scooped those cookies off the floor and, blowing on them just a bit, put them back on the plate. Even in broken bits I'll bet they would taste just a delicious as they look!
Posted by: Christine | March 26, 2008 at 11:54 AM
I would have employed the three minute rule -- those cookies look way too good to throw away. Now, can you figure out how to make Mint Milanos? They are my favorite Pepperidge Farm cookies.
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | March 26, 2008 at 04:40 PM
Thin shortbread with brown sugar and almonds does sound good.
Posted by: Kevin | March 26, 2008 at 05:56 PM
yes, also remind me of the windmill cookies! Just yours look more lovely.
Posted by: gattina | March 26, 2008 at 09:45 PM
my favorite are the milanos. I'll be checking back, often, for your recipe. :) I generally apply the 5 second rule in my house, especially for baked goods since I rarely bake.
Posted by: LiberalFoodie | March 27, 2008 at 06:43 AM
They look absolutely wonderful Sher and guess who is going to freeze the cookie dough next time?
Posted by: ilva | March 27, 2008 at 06:58 AM
Tried these and didn't like them at all. Way too dry. Of course, I am a PROFESSIONAL PASTRY CHEF (although presently unemployed) who went to Peter Kump's Culinary School in New York. My standards are much higher than most people's.
Posted by: chiff0nade | March 27, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Yum!
These look very much like the thin almond crisps we have in the supermarkets here one brand from Belgium and one Swedish, the recipe for the latter origins from the 19th century, I think it's name is some King this and that's almond cookies - addictive they are!
Posted by: Pia K | March 27, 2008 at 11:17 AM
These look delicious! I would not have been able to resist eating these right off the floor.
Posted by: kristi | March 27, 2008 at 11:53 AM
These look great. I am going to compare them to an Epicurious recipe I've made for windmill cookies- they looked similar to yours and were so good and crispy! I am more of a Chessman girl myself...
Posted by: Callipygia | March 27, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Oh man! Sorry about the accident but thankfully you had a few left.
Posted by: Glenna | March 28, 2008 at 07:22 PM
I am , at this very moment, eating the first wafer of the first batch I'm making this morning. They are awesome! Super easy to make, and you're right, 9 minutes was perfect.
Thanks for what is now my very favorite cookie recipe!
Posted by: Hairy Weisenheimmer | April 08, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Sorry, my husband got onto the keyboard and signed in as Chiffonade again.
http://www.blogsmonroe.com/food/letter-to-chucky-aka-docchuck/
Posted by: Mrs Treuter | April 22, 2008 at 12:39 PM
OMG I got this box of cookies last night at Walmart. They are Griesson Cafe Musica brand cookies, they come in a metal green tin (christmas cookies), and say they are from Germany. Well in the tin there are different kids and one was a thin crisp almond cookie... I just got back from walmart and bought 4 more boxes... JUST FOR THESE almond cookies. I was searching for the company to see if they sold just almond cookies alone but did not find anything. So then I searched thin crisp almond cookies to see if I could find a recipe or something and found your post and even better WITH A PICTURE, they look almost identical to the ones you posted a picture of. Will surely try this recipe, thank you!
Posted by: Jess | December 28, 2008 at 12:22 PM