This content originally appeared in the 2023 Valoween Zine.
Planchettes were made for Valoween. A slightly spooky item shaped like a heart? Yes, please! If you’ve ever seen or used a spirit or talking board, then you’ve used a planchette. Today they have a clear eye near the point of the heart so letters and numbers can be seen below on the board.
But once upon a time planchettes (French for “little plank”) had an actual writing device attached to them. Users placed their hands on the planchette, but instead of following what was spelled on the board, the planchette would move so the pen or pencil would drag across paper to reveal the spirits’ message.
Why a heart? Research turned up no good answers, but my best guess would be the heart shape naturally lends itself to placing a writing device at the point and fingertips on the curves.
To be clear, planchettes aren’t used for fortune-telling, just communicating with ghosts. But their use was popularized in the Victorian era, and I find them fascinating...so planchette cookies using a family favorite recipe was a must for me this Valoween.
Planchette Sandwich Cookies
Planchette Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar used to coat cookies
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Mix butter, cream, and flour thoroughly. Chill one hour.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured board.
- Cut cookies using heart-shaped cookie cutter. Use small circle cookie cutter to cut out planchette eye on half the cookies.
- Transfer to plate or bowl heavily sprinkled with sugar. Coat both sides of the unbaked cookie with sugar.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick 3-4 times with a fork.
- Bake based on size of cookie until slightly puffy (not browned). For smaller cookies, bake 7-9 minutes. For larger cookies, bake 10-12 minutes.
- To make filling, combine all ingredients. Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired. (You could also add flavoring, like almond extract, if desired.)
- When cooled, use knife to spread filling on a heart-shaped cookie. Top with cookie with planchette eye cut out.
Notes
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or freezer for up to one month.
Looking for more Valoween treats?
Check out these blog posts for more recipes:
