Dark Chocolate Ganache and Almond Butter Cookie Slab

This slab deserves to be served in the centre of the table with spoons to dig in straight from the tin, topped with scoops of good vanilla ice cream. If you’re making it to post, make sure to include a note recommending that the recipient puts it in the oven for 5–10 minutes at 350°F to reheat it just enough to bring it back  to perfect warm, oozy gooeyness. The ganache may seem like an unnecessary hassle, but is completely worth the effort. The ganache and cookie dough melt together while baking which ensures that each bite is the perfect blend of rich, slightly bitter chocolate offset by the sweet caramel of the cookie base. 

Ingredients

For the ganache

• Double (heavy) Cream 100 g
• Dark Chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) 100 g, finely chopped

For the cookie dough 

• Caster (superfine) Sugar 100 g
• Light Brown Soft Sugar 175 g
• Unsalted Butter 140 g, soft
• Vanilla Bean Paste 2 tsp
• Egg 1
• Smooth Almond Butter 50 g
• All-Purpose Flour 210 g
• Baking Soda ¼ tsp
• Fine Sea Salt 1 tsp
• Flaky Sea Salt for sprinkling

Cook it

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the base and sides of a 9 x 13 inch tin with baking parchment.
2. To make the ganache, put the cream in a small pan over a medium-low heat and heat until just starting to bubble and steam. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl, and pour the cream directly over the top. Leave for 5 minutes without stirring, then stir the mixture a couple of times until it comes together into a smooth ganache. If you overmix the ganache and it starts to split, add teaspoons of milk one at a time, stirring between each addition, until the ganache comes back together and is smooth and glossy. Put the ganache in the fridge to firm up whilst you make the cookie dough.
3. To make the cookie dough, put the caster sugar, light brown soft sugar, butter and vanilla bean paste in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the mixture until soft and creamy. Crack the egg into the bowl and beat until incorporated, then add the almond butter and beat again until smooth and well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and fine sea salt, then tip the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter, egg and sugar mixture and mix again until you have a soft, smooth cookie dough.
5. Tip the cookie dough into your prepared tin and use your fingers to press it into a smooth, even layer, ensuring that the dough fills the tin right to the corners. Remove the ganache from the fridge and use 2 teaspoons to dot the ganache over the surface of the cookie dough.
6. Transfer to the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden. If you are making this to enjoy at home, simply dig in straight from the tin! If you are making this to post, leave the cookie to cool to room temperature (don’t worry if it sinks a little), then remove from the tin and slice into bars.

NOTES

SHELF LIFE: Wrapped in airtight packaging, this will keep well for 10 days.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the almond butter for runny peanut butter or tahini.

HOW TO POST: Wrap tightly in cellophane and tissue.

Recipe adapted slightly from Sweet Deliveries: Over 60 Cakes, Cookies and Other Treats to Send by Mail by Lucy Burton © 2022 with permission of Welbeck Publishing Group. Photography © 2022 by Nassima Rothacker.