The Promise of the Cookie

This is the cookie you reached for, high above you on a counter top. This is the cookie your grandmother made- or the cookie your best friend's grandmother made. This is the cookie in the pastry shop you couldn't have, this is the cookie you read about in story books, this is the Promise of the Cookie.

A Cookie will taste moist, but also crunchy.
A Cookie will be nutty, but also have a bit of jam.
A Cookie will be rich and chocolaty.
A Cookie will be yours alone, will be fulfilling, will be more than a bite.
A Cookie will be Beautiful.

This week, for Tuesdays with Dorrie, we made Linzer Sables from Dorrie Greenspan's book, Baking, from My Home to Yours. Check out the other lovely takes on this recipe here.

Linzer: refers to an Austrian or Hungarian torte or cookie with a lattice design. The Linzer torte is the oldest known torte in the world, according to Wikipedia. (There's a recipe from 1653!) Who cares?!?! I totally do.

Sable: A classic French cookie, slightly crumbly, often with nuts; comes from the French word for sand.

These cookies called for half flour, half ground almonds. I subbed whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour. I also cut the sugar in half. Then I baked 'em, stuff 'em with raspberry jam and very dark, very fine chocolate ganache.

And then the Promise of the Cookie was fulfilled. All the disillusionment of childhood melted away... because This Cookie was Everything I Thought a Cookie Would Be.