16*52 Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt

Almonds. Covered in dark chocolate. And a layer of sea salt.

Doesn't that sound like a great combination? It really is. Best from a Confiserie here in Basel.

We were invited to dinner at a friend's house and she and her boyfriend love those almonds. As a small thank you gift for them, I thought I would bake something that goes into that direction. Makes it a bit more personal than just buying a pack of those almonds which they could always do themselves. Luckily, I found the recipe below which sounded like it would hit it on the spot. Let's see if the cookies can hold up to the almonds...

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt

Adapted slightly from Food52

Makes about 2 dozen small or 1 dozen big cookies

120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour

115 g (¾ cup) almond meal

114 g (1 stick) butter, at room temperature + 2 tablespoons (for chocolate filling)

55 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar  

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

113 g (4 oz) dark chocolate, in small pieces

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

sea salt, to taste

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Whisk together flour and almond meal in a small bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then the almond-flour mixture and mix until combined (do not overmix).
• Roll dough into small balls, place them on your prepared cookie sheet with enough space between them, and make an indention in the middle of each ball. This works best with the back of a wooden cooking spoon. Bake 10-15 minutes until the cookies are only slightly colored. Let cool on a cooling rack.
• For the chocolate filling, combine chocolate, 2 tablespoons of butter, and syrup. Melt over hot water and stir until smooth. Let cool a bit, then fill thumbprints with chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt. The chocolate should be completely set within about one hour.

My modifications:

The recipe called for the zest of 1 lemon which I omitted. I didn't think it fits into the overall flavor I was hoping for.

The taste:
Heavenly. I really, really like them. And so quick and easy to make - this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Do you like the combination of chocolate and salt? Any favorite products or recipes?