The first thing I recommend is that you go out and buy a lovely Kitchen Aid Countertop Mixer, with a 4 1/2 qt bowl. Red is preferable, though any color should do the trick.
Put two sticks of butter on the counter to soften. Land O Lakes Unsalted is what I use.
Put the softened butter in your mixer (or mixing bowl if you chose not to follow Step 1, although I feel you should go back to Step 1 immediately if it was originally discounted as an overly extravagant idea!)
Add 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 eggs. Mix thoroughly until no lumps are seen.
Add 2 tablespoons Hershey's Baking Cocoa, 1 tablespoon Cinnamon, a dash of Allspice (or Nutmeg). Mix thoroughly.
Add 3 & 1/2 tablespoons of Kirsch. The real stuff. Accept no substitute.
Add 8 oz of ground almonds. (Or 200 grams) Whatever is more politically correct.
Add 8 oz of GRATED Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar. This is the hardest step for us Americans. It needs to be grated without melting it with our body heat. If you did apply Step 1, you should have also purchased the Grating/Shredding Accessory, as in this way your machine is being fully utilized. Mix thoroughly until the dough is evenly colored and tasty, too.
Add slowly, a little at a time 3 & 1/2 cups of flour. Mix this until a thickened dough. Step 1 is very useful now, as your arm does not hurt in any way.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, and shape it into a flattened ball if possible, and place it on a platter. I usually spray Pam on the surface, to prevent it from sticking. You could also use wax paper. Cover with Saran Wrap.
Place the dough in the refrigerator, a minimum of 2 hours. I usually leave it overnight.
Next, you take about 1/2 the dough out, and with flour on the counter, attempt to roll this stone-like dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Myself, I start on the counter, but then transfer it to wax paper when it is pliable and almost the right size to fit a pizza pan. Put the pan on top of the dough, and cut away all the dough that shows beyond the edges of the pan. Then, when ready, invert the pan, with the dough (the dough should be in the pan at this point) and peel away the wax paper. Put this pan and dough to the side.
Turn the oven to 375°F degrees, shelf in the middle position of the oven.
Take out the rest of the dough, and roll it out as best you can again. Flouring the rolling pin is important, dusting the dough a little as well can help. I try to roll this portion out as a long strip shaped like a rectangle. The longer the better. Cut a nice straight strip, about 1/2 inch wide and as long as possible. Lift it up and put it on the edge of the dough in the pan, to make a circular border. If you have too much flour on the dough, it will not stick to the bottom section, so try not to use too much.
16 oz of Raspberry Preserves. Fill the area completely. Use the whole jar.
Cut more strips like the first, and put them across the preserves, to make the pretty grid. Usually 3 strips vertically and 3 strips horizontally will suffice.
You are almost done. Take a fork, and gently press down the tines into the border/dough. Continue pressing this indentation around the edge. Speed is not an issue. You may do this at your own pace. This will make a rippling effect that adds beauty and design to your mouth-watering treat.
Place this lovely work, this effort of sweetness, into your oven. Let it remain there for 37 minutes. (If you are at higher elevations, your cooking time may vary. Check with your oven's manufacturer. (grin))
Remove from oven, and place on a rack to cool.
Do NOT touch this dessert, no matter how good it looks. Let is set until absolutely cool, then wrap it up with foil, completely.
Wait two days.
Enjoy, it is now at its peak of perfection, and is absolutely delicious. Eat it with pleasure, share when you must, but always offer it begrudgingly, so others will appreciate its value and respect your hard work even more.
