Name: Sarah Bernhardt Cookies
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H20M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT1H20M0.000S
Yield: 18 to 20 cookies
Cuisine: european
Ingredients: 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon finely ground natural almond flour; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt; Pinch freshly grated nutmeg; 1 large egg white (save the yolk for the buttercream); 1/2 cup sugar; 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature; 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder; 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Pinch kosher salt; One 4-ounce bar 70-percent bittersweet chocolate, chopped; 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil

Directions

Special equipment:

a 1 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter; an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer; 2 half-circle silicone molds (each cavity 1 1/2-inches in diameter and 1-inch high); a disposable pastry bag or resealable plastic bag.

Make the almond cookies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk the almond flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Stir in the egg white until a thick paste forms and the flour is hydrated. Scoop up 1-teaspoon balls of the dough and space them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the edges are golden and the tops are dry and no longer shiny, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through the baking time.
Remove the cookies from the oven. While warm, firmly press a 1 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter into the center of each cookie to create an indent without cutting through to the bottom. If the cookies start to crack on the top, place the baking sheet back in the oven to rewarm the cookies, about 1 minute. Set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the cookies have cooled completely. Run a thin offset spatula underneath each cooled cookie, then carefully break off the trimmings outside the circle (see Cook’s Note). Set the cookies aside.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate French buttercream: Place the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until the mixture reaches 239 degrees F on a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer, about 8 minutes.
While the sugar boils, whisk the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Once the sugar syrup reaches temperature, reduce the speed to medium and carefully drizzle the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream down the side of the bowl (don’t let the whisk hit the syrup or it could spatter). Increase the speed to medium-high once all the syrup is added. Whip until the mixture is fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch, 5 to 8 minutes.
Turn off the mixer and add the cocoa powder. Mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Increase the speed to medium and slowly add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, thoroughly combining each tablespoon before adding the next. If the buttercream curdles, keep whipping until it’s smooth before adding more butter. Once all the butter is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy and lightened in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and mix in the vanilla and salt.
Transfer the buttercream to a disposable pastry bag or resealable plastic bag. Snip off the tip of the pastry bag or cut a small hole in one corner of the resealable bag. Place 2 half-circle silicone molds with cavities 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch high on your work surface (see Cook’s Note). Pipe in enough buttercream to fill each cavity completely; it’s okay if the buttercream domes a little.
Gently press a cookie bottom-side down into each mound of buttercream to adhere; don’t push so hard buttercream oozes out the sides. Place the molds in the freezer until the buttercream hardens enough to pop out cleanly and smoothly from the mold, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate coating: Bring a medium saucepan filled a third of the way up with water to a boil over medium-high heat. Set a heatproof bowl over the saucepan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate and coconut oil and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat and keep warm, stirring occasionally until needed.
Working with one silicone mold at a time, pop one cookie out of its cavity and hold the cookie by the edges. Turn the cookie upside-down and dip the dome into the warm chocolate until it covers the buttercream but not the cookie. Shake any excess chocolate off and place right-side up on a serving platter. Repeat the same steps until all the cookies are dipped; you may have some excess chocolate coating. You can serve the cookies immediately, or let them sit for at least an hour for the best contrast in textures. Leftover cookies can be refrigerated in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 week; let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving.

Cook’s Note

We also tested these cookies without trimming the bottom almond bases; they were a bit larger than the silicone molds, giving the finished treat a slightly more rustic look. Although we developed this recipe using two 15-cavity half-circle silicone molds, for a more casual look you could also pipe mounds of the buttercream onto each cookie or use a cookie scoop to scoop a mound on each. You’ll want about 1 1/2 tablespoons buttercream on each. Freeze as detailed above.