I love these typical German bakery shop cookies. The original name really translates to 'Hazelnut Coins' - a taler was a coin in use generations ago in Germany, much like a shilling or quid was in Great Britan...but I suppose in English there is no better term for them, although for me they are not 'really' cookies any more than a 'bar' of something is. But...oh well...they are what they are and they are delicious!In the shops they are usual about the size of an average palm. Eating one really is enough. I made mine smaller and used a glass to cut them out of the dough.
They are my mother's most favourite too, I found out years ago. I've been wanting to surprise her with them for weeks. But everytime I buy the hazelnuts, I end up reducing them down because I snack on them. And you do need a good amount just to make a mere dozen.
In the top photo you can see they start out as from a rolled out dough - just a common sweet 1-2-3 one (1part sugar, 2 parts REAL butter, 3 parts flour) a pinch of salt and a little vainilla sugar and half an egg (because my 1 part was only 50 g. of sugar). Anyway, I had designs for the second half - that went into the first course for lunch of a broth.
Anyway, the cut out rounds are baked at 200°C until they are light brown and when cooled melted dark chocolate is spread on them. When slightly cool, the nuts are added and when all are cool, a quick caramel of sugar with a little lemon juice is drizzled over them.
They are not complicated to make but take time as besides the dough itself (the only part you can do in advance because it must rest in the refrigerator - even up to a day or be frozen), nothing can be done in advance but proceeds as one step after another. You just can't melt chocolate and keep it warm for long nor can you make caramel in advance - you make that just before you need to drizzle it.
Oh, but are they a delicious, not too sweet treat! The happy surprised look in my mother's face was soooooooo worth the effort!
