These cookies are a magical mix of chewy biscuit, creamy filling and a gently crunchy chocolate coating. They’re deceptively simple to make but if you get it right harps will play, birds will sing, poems will be written … and you’ll be feted from one end of your home to the other. Good luck!
Named after famed French actress ‘The Devine Sarah’ Bernhardt, these cookies have their origins in Holland, where in the mid-to-late 19th century Dutch bakers often named their goods after celebrities. While touring in Amsterdam, Ms. Bernhardt sampled the then unnamed cookies, declared them delightful and the honoured baker named them after her. Often called The World’s Greatest Cookie here’s the best recipe we were able to track down.
Preheat oven to 150 C
What you need
Cookie base:
100 g ground almonds
1 1/2 dl sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
150 G almond paste (you can make your own but this is also available in most shops)
1/2 an egg white
Chocolate truffle filling:
75 g semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp whipping cream (vispgrädde)
Topping:
200 g semi-sweet chocolate
25 g coconut fat (or 1 tbsp vegetable oil – coconut fat is the better choice and available in most shops – cocosfet)
What you do:
Grate the almond paste. Lightly beat the egg white, then beat into the grated almond paste. Drop about 10 mounds of the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and flatten to about the size you want. Bake on the centre rack for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden. Flip upside down onto a rack and cool completely.
Melt the chocolate for the truffle filling in a water bath. In a separate saucepan heat the butter and cream to just boiling, then remove from heat immediately, add the melted chocolate and let cool until thick and stiff. Spread the truffle filling over the cookie base and cool in the fridge for at least one hour.
For the topping melt the chocolate with the cocoa fat, then dip the tops of the cold cakes into the chocolate mixture, covering the truffle filling completely. Cool and serve. Delicious!
Judi Lembke
Judi Lembke is an experienced journalist who, when she’s not shackled to her computer, enjoys reading, cooking and sometimes watching embarrassingly bad reality TV. Judi also works with communications and thinks coming up with clever ideas is about as much fun as one can have without taking off one’s clothes.
