Halva sandwich cookies are the culmination of a few of my favorite things: halva, nut flour and chewy macarons: a little bit of Paris, a little bit of Israel and a little bit of... mashu! These came about from some extra halva that had been sitting on the counter for too long, as well as a desire to create a confection that trumps other halva cookies I've had in coffee shops and the like. They are: nutty, not too sweet, chewy and rich. I chose to fill them with dulce de leche, because, well, I had a jar of it in my fridge. I also tried raspberry jam and that seemed to please. With more time and inspiration, I could be convinced to fill them with a homemade halva cream or.... you tell me! These cookies are barely sweet- so they can handle a sweeter filling.
Some tips- if you don't have almond or hazelnut flour, which I didn't, you can can put some walnuts through the food processor until they pulverize (but before they turn into walnut butter). Treat these cookies as delicately as you would a macaron, that is, keep an eye on them in the oven and take them out as soon as you see any golden color. Taking them off the nonstick sheet is just as important- use a metal spatula with a clean edge, not one of those rounded plastic ones. You don't want the interior of the cookie to come out. You'll see what I mean when you make them.
100g hazelnuts, ground- or almonds, walnuts (3/4 cup)
75g all purpose flour (1/2 cup)
55g confectioner sugar, sifted (1/3 cup)
75g butter, softened (1/3 cup)
2 eggs
75g butter, softened (1/3 cup)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup of filling - dulce de leche, raspberry preserves, etc
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk butter, eggs, sugar. Add pulverized halva, nut flour, all purpose flour, cinnamon and mix until smooth. By hand or with mixer. There may be little chunks of halva; that's ok. Chill in fridge for an hour or freezer for 30 minutes.
Scoop little balls the size of a hazelnut to a grape (depending on how big you want them) and roll into a ball. The dough should be cold enough to do this without sticking to your hands. Put on nonstick baking sheet with at least 2 inches between balls. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until very slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove carefully with spatula. Spread on dulce de leche or preserves with a butter knife and match with the same size cookie to make the sandwich.
Store in a sealed container. Try to store them sideways, not on top of each other, as they are moist and will stick.
