Macaroon Sandwiches

A two-line assembly recipe that assumes you already have a bowl of filling on hand from elsewhere in the book. The only real decisions are what kind of macaroon and how fine to grind the nuts.

• What a macaroon meant hereIn an American book of this period this is most likely the chewy almond-paste cookie — flat-bottomed, domed, crackled on top — rather than the French macaron shell. Coconut macaroons would also serve, though their ragged surface gives a less tidy join.
• The filling is a cross-reference"Cream filling" and "mocha filling" are recipes given elsewhere in the book; the reader is expected to turn to them. Note that in books of this period "cream filling" often means a cooked custard-type filling rather than a buttercream, and "mocha" a version flavoured with strong coffee. Whichever you use, a firm filling behaves best here.
• Consistency is the hingeThe filling must be stiff enough to hold its shape at room temperature. Macaroons are brittle and a soft filling squeezes out sideways under the press, then softens the cookie until the sandwich collapses.
• Browning the nutsThe recipe specifies no method; nuts of this period were browned in the oven or in a dry pan. A moderate oven, around 350F for 8-10 minutes until fragrant, works well. Cool them completely, then grind: grinding first and toasting after scorches the outside of the meal before the middle dries.
• Ground and chopped bothThe phrasing ("ground and browned almonds or pecans chopped fine") is ambiguous: it may intend a single finely reduced, browned nut, or ground nuts plus a chopped addition. Either reading works; add only as much as the filling will carry without becoming unspreadable.
• AssemblySpread a scant teaspoon on the flat side of one cookie, set the second flat-side down, and press only until the filling reaches the edge. Rolling the exposed rim in extra chopped nuts is one possible finish.
• Yield and timingThe recipe gives no quantities; a dozen macaroons will make six sandwiches, needing only a couple of tablespoons of filling at the scant teaspoon suggested above. Fill them shortly before serving; held overnight the cookies soften and lose the contrast that makes the thing worth eating.