Apricot Window Cookies Recipes

APRICOT WINDOWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat an 11-by-17-inch baking pan with cooking spray, and line with parchment; set aside. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a #11 plain tip. Spoon jam into a medium bowl, and beat with a rubber spatula to smooth out texture; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Reduce speed to low, add reserved flour mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined. Remove 1 3/4 cups of the dough; use it to fill the prepared pastry bag. Fold the end over to keep dough from drying out; set aside.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining dough into the prepared pan as evenly and smoothly as possible. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and transfer to a heat-proof surface. Using an offset spatula, spread jam on top in an even layer. Using the prepared pastry bag, pipe parallel lines of dough spaced 1 inch apart over the jam. Pipe perpendicular lines of dough at 1-inch intervals over first lines. Place in oven, and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 1-by-3-inch bars or 3-inch squares.

WINNING APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Fold in coconut and walnuts., Press two-thirds of dough onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Spread with preserves; crumble remaining dough over preserves. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

APRICOT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream the butter and sugar in a medium size mixing bowl. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, egg and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture. Cool dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into rounds with a round cookie cutter or glass. Using the tip of a teaspoon place a small drop of apricot preserves into the middle of the circle. Brush edges with water and fold the dough over so that the cookie is in the shape of a half moon; seal edges Arrange on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar while still hot.

APRICOT CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Blend butter, cream cheese, and sour cream together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and salt until well blended.
• Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Divide dough into thirds. Keep dough in the refrigerator while working on one portion at a time. Roll each portion into a 12 1/2x10-inch rectangle. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares using a fluted pastry wheel.
• Place a dot, about 1/4 teaspoon, of preserves in the center of each square. Bring up two diagonal corners to the center, pinching together to seal, or secure with a toothpick. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm, but not brown, about 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more. Sift remaining powdered sugar over the cooled cookies.

APRICOT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In medium bowl, beat 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in flour until well blended. Stir in finely chopped apricots.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls 2 inches apart.
• Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and the apricot preserves with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar until well blended. Spread frosting over cookies. Top each cookie with apricot strip.

APRICOT ALMOND BLONDIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chips, almonds and apricots., Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

APRICOT TEA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in cream cheese and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sour cream, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the filling ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover; simmer 7-9 minutes longer or until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Cool., Divide dough in half. On a well-floured surface, roll out each portion into a 10-in. square; cut each into 2-in. squares. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Bring two opposite corners of square to the center; pinch firmly to seal. , Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over cooled cookies.

APRICOT WINDOW COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, and cornmeal. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture. Combine thoroughly.
• Line an 11-by-17-inch baking pan with parchment. Press half the dough evenly into the bottom of pan. Place another piece of parchment over dough; rub the bottom of a spoon over parchment to get dough completely smooth; remove parchment. Using an offset spatula, spread jam on dough in an even layer.
• Fit a pastry bag with a #11 plain tip. Fill pastry bag with remaining dough. Pipe parallel lines of dough spaced 1/2 inch apart over jam. Pipe perpendicular lines spaced 1/2 inch apart over first lines. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into about 48 1 1/2-by-3-inch bars, or about 24 3-inch squares.

APRICOT-FILLED SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs. In another bowl, combine flour and walnuts; gradually beat into creamed mixture. , Shape into 1-1/2-in.-thick logs. Cut crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until bottoms begin to brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on pans on wire racks., Meanwhile, for filling, combine apricots and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until apricots are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; cool to room temperature. Pulse 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon and apricots in a blender or food processor until smooth. Spread over bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. , For topping, melt chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until mixture is combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried apricots. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and pat to flatten into a disk. Place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. If dough starts to get too soft, place in the freezer or refrigerator a few minutes. Cut out shapes, as desired, and place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Remove from oven, and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Cookies will keep up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

APRICOT-PISTACHIO LAYERED ICEBOX COOKIES

Steps:

• Shape dough into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Roll out each disk to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured piece of parchment. Cut into 2-by-9-inch strips. Spread 2 teaspoons jam onto 1 strip; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ground nut filling. Repeat, layering 3 to 5 more strips, ending with a plain strip.
• Wrap in parchment. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Slice dough crosswise slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Bake at 350 degrees on parchment-lined baking sheets until firm, 12 to 14 minutes.