Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with a spatula. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla paste, whisk until incorporated.
2. Mix the dry ingredients into wet in 2-3 additions. Keep stirring with a spatula until you form a ball of dough. Transfer to your working surface and knead for a minute. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. (The dough should be soft enough to make an indentation, but not sticky.)
3. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Set the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Take dough out of the fridge and divide it into two parts (one larger than the other, almost 2/3 of the dough). Set the smaller piece aside.
5. Split the larger portion into 23 equal parts, then roll each one into a smooth ball. Place all on the baking sheet about 2.5cm (1 inch) apart. Gently press each ball down, to flatten the bottom. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cookies rise and get slightly golden brown around the edges (the top will stay pale).
6. As these bake, split the smaller portion of the dough into 23 equal parts and roll each one into a log, about 6 cm (2.4 inches) long. Place on the baking sheet and set aside.
7. As you take out the first cookie sheet (the “mushroom caps”), put the second one with the “stems” in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes (until golden brown on the bottom).
8. Then immediately start prepping the first batch of cookies, while they are still warm (this is important!). Cut a circle in the bottom of each cookie and scoop out about 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons of crumbs. Do this with all the cookies and set the crumbs aside.

Filling and assembly

1. In a bowl combine the cookie crumbs, almond meal and strawberry jam. Take one mushroom cap and fill the hole with the filling. Then take a stem, dip it in the filling, then stick it into the mushroom cap.
2. As the filling begins to crawl out, try to push some of it back in, and wipe away the rest. This is most easily done with your index finger, dipped into water to prevent the filling from sticking to it. You can also just use a toothpick or a skewer.
3. Continue with the rest of the cookies and place each mushroom cookie upside down on a plate. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes or until you prepare the chocolate.
4. Line a half sheet or a few plates with parchment paper. Set aside on your work surface / table, along with coarse almond meal (or chopped slivered almonds). In a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Keep stirring as it melts and remove from heat when only a few chunks remain. Let the chunks melt completely. Once melted add the food coloring, as much as you want or need to get a desired red color. Transfer the chocolate to a smaller bowl, which will make dipping the cookies easier.
5. Take cookies out of the fridge. Dip each cookie in the chocolate, deep enough to cover the entire cap. Sprinkle almonds on top and transfer cookie to the prepared plates. Continue with the remaining cookies. Chill cookies for about 2 hours, until the chocolate hardens.
6. Transfer cookies to airtight containers or cover the plates with plastic wrap, store in the fridge for up to a week.