Petit Four Cookie with jam and ganache

Finding the perfect and easy petit four cookie recipe was a challenge. But I was finally able to find a winner recipe. Petit Four in Lebanon is basically a buttery cookie and in the middle there is either jam or chocolate ganache, then it is half dipped in more chocolate and grounded nuts.

During Eid (the Muslim religious holidays) we serve petit four and baklava to our guests. This year I'm preparing a brunch for my family since we are spending it in quarantine and petit four will definitely be on the table.

Recipe: (in grams)

Makes about a dozen cookies based on cookie cutter size.

Dough:

200 g ( 1 1/3 cup) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

115 g (1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted

100 g ( 1 cup) ground almond flour, sifted

(see direction on how to make if you don't have almond flour)

150 g (10 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

1/8 tsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Make sure your butter is room temperature, and your almond flour and powdered sugar are sifted.

You can make almond flour at home by using blanched almonds in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar (add it from the 1 cup in the recipe). Process until its fine like flour, then sift.

** If you don't have access to almond flour, substitute with 30 grams of all purpose flour for this recipe.

2. Add all ingredients to a stand mixer bowl with a knead attachment, and mix until it forms a dough. Alternatively, Squeeze the dough between your hand ( not kneading, just a squeeze motion) until all flour mixed with the dough.

3. Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 -30 min.

4. Place the dough between two parchment papers (12 in x 10 in) and roll the dough between the parchment paper with a rolling pin until you get a 1/4 inch thickness.

PRE-HEAT OVEN: 325 Fahrenheit

5. Using at of your desired cookie cutters, cut out the cookies and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to have an even number of cookies. To make a linzer style cookie (a sandwiched cookie with a shape in the middle) use a small shape cutter usually found in cookie sets and remove the middle on half the cookies.

Keeping rolling the dough and cutting the shapes until you complete the dough. If the dough starts to get sticky, place it in the freezer for 10 min.

6. Bake on 325 F for 12-15 min or until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.

7. Once baked, place the cookies on a cooling rack and leave the cookies on the baking sheet for an extra 10 min.

8. When the cookies are completely cooled, you can fill the cookies with your desired fillings: jams, nutella, ganache, melted chocolate.

For chocolate ganache: 1/3 cup heavy cream heated then poured on 1 cup chocolate chips and whisked together until creamy. Let it sit for 20 min. until it develops some thickness then spoon on cookie and place another cookie on top.

For the pistachio apricot cookie in the picture: add 1/2 tsp apricot jam to one cookie and spread. Then melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate and dip the cookie with the cut out middle in the melted chocolate, then dip again to crushed pistachios.