Biskvi

This is a very interesting cookie/pastry. It's originally from france, but if you try to look it up there doesn't seem to be any english name for it and it seems alot of people outisde of Sweden have never heard of, or eaten a biskvi. This is crazy because they're delicious beyond imagination! The base cookie crispy yet sticky chewy like toffee, topped with delicious buttercream and finally dipped in chocolate. It's like someone took all the best things of the baking world and put in one cookie.

Since this is a 3 step cookie I have mixed and matched my favorite recipes and created a completely awesome combo of chewy base, a light and fluffy french buttercream with the tiniest hint of salt and finally some dark chocolate on top.

Biskvier:

The Base:
400 g almond paste
200 g sugar
100 g egg whites(keep the yolks)

Preheat oven to 180C.
Mix the almond paste with the sugar until incorporated. If you, like me, have a pretty weak mixer you might want to use your hands for this.
Mix in the egg whites, just a little bit at a time until you get a good consistensy. This can be a little tricky. It has to be soft enough to be pipable but not so soft that it just leaves puddles on your baking tray. If you try to make a peak in the batter it should slowly sink back into the rest of the batter, but not all the way. There should still be some lines left.

Pipe the batter onto baking trays, think 4 cm diameter coins.
Leave plenty of room between each cookie because they will expand.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
If they sink too much in the middle, you either made them too big or they were not done.
Cool the cookies on the tray and then stick the whole tray(or baking sheet) in the freezer. This way you can get them off the tray without ruining them.

The french buttercream:
170 g sugar
200 g water
160 g egg yolks
450 g butter(not unsalted)
50-100 g dark chocolate

Measure out your egg yolks and your butter.
Put the sugar and water in a pot, preferably a wider one(it's quicker).
Gently heat the sugar and water while stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
Continue to eat on medium without too much stirring until the syrup is at 106C(you can also test by putting some syrup between your thumb and index finger. If you get a string when you pull them apart then the syrup is ready).
When the syrup is almost done, put the egg yolks in your mixer and whip until foamy.
When the syrup is done, gently stream it into the egg yolks while the mixer is running. Avoid getting syrup on the side of the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated.
Slowly add your butter in small blobs. It might look like the mixture is curdling, but be patient and it should come together. Mix well between each addition of butter.
Carefully melt the chocolate in the microwave. Stop your kitchen robot, quickly dump the chocolate into the buttercream - make sure it doesnt hit the side of the bowl, and turn the machine back on.
Whip until well incorporated and then stick it in the fridge for a while to help it set.

For the chocolate cover:
400 g dark chocolate
canola oil

Assembly:
Flip your cookies upside down and pipe a generous blob of buttercream on the bottom of each cookie.
Stick the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Melt your chocolate on as low heat as your patience allows. If the chocolate is too thick for good dunkin add some canola oil. A few teaspoons to a tablespoon should do the trick.
Dip the buttercream side of each cookie into the chocolate, making sure it fully covers the buttercream and the entire bottomside of the cookie, right up to the edge.
Let any excess run off and leave on a tray or rack to set.

And there you have it. Alot of steps and takes a while to finish, but I have never met anyone who hasn't been all over these things. If you're in need of some good therapy-time in the kitchen then these cookies are well orth the effort!