Maria's Ischli Cookies

• 1/4 lb. almonds
• hazelnuts, finely ground
• 1/2 lb. butter, room temperature
• 1/4 lb. sugar
• 1/2 lb. all-purpose flour
• Seedless raspberrry preserves
• 1/4 lb. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp. superfine sugar
• 1 tsp. instant espresso coffee
• 1 tbsp. butter

1. If you cannot buy nuts already ground, then grind them in a food processor, taking care not to overprocess them or they will turn oily; you can also process them with the sugar to prevent them from turning oily.
2. (Note if you are working with whole hazelnuts, toast them first in a 400F oven, rub off skins, let cool and then grind.)
3. Combine the nuts with the butter, sugar and flour; you will have to combine this dough with your hands; if a bit too dry, add drops of lemonjuice or rum.
4. Form dough into a roll 1-1/4-inches thick.
5. Refrigerate overnight in waxed paper or parchment.
6. Following day preheat the oven to 350F.
7. cut dough into 1/4-inch slices and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.
8. Remove from oven and cool cookies on a rack.
9. When cooled to room temperature, sandwich two cookies together with raspberry jam and spread some of the chocolate icing (see below) over the top cookie.
10. For a pretty presentation, set them in fluted paper cups.
11. Chocolate Icing: Melt chocolate with water and sugar.
12. When melted, add instant coffee and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes.
13. Turn heat off, add butter and let icing cool to room temperature.
14. (Don't let it get too firm or it will be hard to spread over cookies.)

almonds, butter, sugar, allpurpose flour, preserves, bittersweet chocolate, water, sugar, coffee, butter

Taken from www.foodgeeks.com/recipes/2541 (may not work)