Recipe Description
This recipe is based on the Italian Seven-Layer Cookie. The seventh layer is a coating of chocolate on the base. The instructions are given in the recipe below.
This recipe is best with
Recipe Ingredient
- 2 eggs, separated
- 160g sugar, divided
- 140g butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 65g almond meal (ground almonds)
- 140g all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- Red and green food dye (liquid or gel)
- 5-6 tbsp apricot jam
- 50g chocolate
- ½ tsp corn syrup
Instructions
- Line 3 shallow 18cm square baking pan with baking paper, with two opposite sides overhanging. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- With electric beaters, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Continue beating and add 2 tbsp of sugar slowly. Whisk until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.
- Place butter in another mixing bowl. Using the same egg beaters, whip butter and remaining sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in yolks and vanilla until combined, 1 minute.
- Combine almond meal, flour and salt, and fold into butter mixture.
- Stir a third of the egg whites into the butter mixture to loosen, then fold in the rest of the whites.
- Divide batter into three equal parts, about 200g each. Colour one portion red and another green (about ½ tsp liquid or ¼ tsp gel) and leave the third portion natural.
- Place the batters into the three prepared pans and bake for 8-10 minutes until cooked but still soft as they will firm up while cooling. Remove from oven and from the pans, and cool on a wire rack (leave the baking paper on).
- Warm the apricot jam to loosen it.
- Line a tray with greaseproof paper or a silicon mat and upturn the green layer onto it. Peel off the baking paper. Spread with a thin layer of jam and upturn the white layer on top; peel off the baking paper. Spread with jam and upturn the red layer on top; peel off the baking paper.
- Cover with cling film and place a tray or baking pan on top of the cling film and weight it down with something heavy to press the layers together. Refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Melt the chocolate with the corn syrup in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Remove cling film and spread chocolate on top of the red layer. Chill until chocolate is set. (If making a seven-layer cookie, invert the cookie onto another tray and spread the green layer with chocolate. Chill until set. The chocolate and corn syrup need to be doubled.)
- Trim the edges and cut into fingers, about 4cm by 2cm.
