Sacher Torte Cookies

It’s been nothing but rain here and it’s so dreary. Don’t get me wrong, I’m from this area and I don’t mind the weather normally, but our current rain is just too much. The normal trickle of a stream by my house has turned into a raging river and there has been a landslide near my house. It’s still supposed to rain but I am hopeful for a little less rain soon.

Figuring out this week’s cookies, I knew I would need to pick up a couple of ingredients. I went to the store, as I needed some other items, and luckily I was able to get the pudding mix and preserves that I needed. I’m not sure if it is the rain or not, but the jam aisle at my store was nearly wiped clean. Do people eat PB&J when it’s rainy? I have no idea.

This cookie started out as a thumbprint cookie, but I don’t like thumbprints where the filling is uncooked preserves. A Sacher Torte traditionally does have an apricot filling, but I wanted to see how it worked with adding the preserves to the cookies, making a chocolate/apricot bite. These cookies don’t contain sugar, other than what is in the pudding and preserves, so they are not super sweet. I was worried that the preserves would make the dough too soft, but they were fine. I like the crunch of the sugar and flavor of the preserves is hard to pinpoint, but these cookies are great!

Sacher Torte Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

3.9 ounces package instant chocolate pudding

1 egg

2 cups flour

½ cup apricot preserves

Sugar

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and pudding mix on medium until light. Add the egg and stir to incorporate. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the preserves.

Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until set. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and vegetable shortening in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments. Once smooth, drizzle over the cookies.

Recipe from Audrey Thibodeau, Taste of Home