The Dream Pieces Cookies with Cocoa and Almonds are a variant of the Traumstücke (dream pieces) delicate and fine butter shortbread of German origin. The recipe is very simple, the dough is prepared in a few minutes and after a quick chill in the refrigerator, they are cut into stick shapes, baked, and then dipped in powdered sugar that envelopes them with its delicate vanilla aroma.
The dream pieces with almonds and orange were very popular, so I decided to prepare two other versions, quite different from each other; one with cocoa and tangerine and one with spices. These cookies are perfect for Christmas and make a beautiful gift idea that you can add to your cookie box; they are usually prepared during the Advent period but are now so quick and easy that they are made all year round.
The ingredients you need are really few, use good quality butter because it is the fundamental ingredient of these fantastic cookies.
If you’re looking for other cookies to give as gifts for your Christmas basket, here are some ideas:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 36 small cookies
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: German
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp mandarin zest (grated, I used the zest of two mandarins)
- as needed vanilla powdered sugar (for coating)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Small bowl
Procedure
Leave the butter out of the refrigerator for 10 minutes then cut it into 1/2-inch cubes and place them in a bowl.
Add the flour, almond flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, egg yolks, and flavorings, and work everything quickly until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Divide the dough into three parts and form three cylinders with a diameter of about 3/4 inch, place them on a tray and let them firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes.
With a knife, cut small cookies of 1 to 1.5 inches (the procedure is the same as for gnocchi, you should get cylinders of the same size) and place them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, note that they do not rise, so you can place them fairly close together.
Put the baking sheet in the fridge until the oven is preheated.
Bake the cookies in a preheated static oven at 340°F for 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly and roll them in vanilla powdered sugar
The Dream Pieces Cookies with Cocoa and Almonds are ready.
Tips
Storage
Dream Pieces Cookies with Cocoa and Almonds can be stored in a tin box for up to three weeks.
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