Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Apricot and Almond Cookies



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those who like European-style cookies will really enjoy this nut shortbread that gets a flavor boost from the addition of dried apricots and a drizzle of Amaretto icing. The cookies are barely sweet, so I know they won't be to everyone's liking, but if you are looking for a new cookie to serve with tea or espresso, I urge you to take a good look at the recipe below. I love these cookies and the ease with which they come together. The recipe was developed by Giada De Laurentis who has two versions of it available. One is made with dried cherries, the other with dried apricots. I favor the one made with apricots and recommend it to you without reservation. The cookie is very easy to make, but because the dough must chill for several hours before baking, you'll need to factor wait time into your plans should you decide to try them. They are worth waiting for. While the dough for the cookies can be frozen, the baked cookies are not great keepers, so don't make more of them than can be eaten within 48 hours or so. I do hope you will try them. Here's the recipe.

Apricot and Almond Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Icing
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur

Directions:
Cookies
1) In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in eggs. Add flour and beat on the lowest speed until just blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dried apricots and nuts.
2) Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance).
3) Arrange an oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
4) Cut log crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Transfer the dough slices to prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and puffed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing, about 30 minutes. Yield: 48 cookies.
Icing
5) Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in Amaretto, until the mixture becomes a drizzling consistency.
6) Put cooled cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or a fork, drizzle cookies with icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto baking sheet. Allow icing to set before serving, about 1 hour.










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36 comments :

My Little Space said...

such luscious looking cookies! Wish I could join you for tea right now. :o)
Enjoy your day, Mary.
Blessings
Kristy

Ailyn Sánchez said...

Love almond cookies, this recipe sounds delicious...

Katarina said...

I would love to try these! Looks delicious!

KitchenKarma said...

Good morning Mary. I am still nursing my first cup of green tea while browsing through your blog. The cookies look awesome, wish I had some for my breakfast :-) Or is it too early to have them? :-)

Salsa Verde said...

Delicious recipe and the cookies looks so moreish!
Cheers,
Lia.

Diane said...

I love almonds so I am pretty sure I would enjoy these. Mmmmm Diane

Kim said...

One or two of these cookies with a cup of espresso, sonds like a hit to me! It looks really good!

Ana Rita Marreiros said...

Your cookies are always amazing and these are just perfect!!
Kisses
Rita

Barbara said...

One of my favorite cookies, Mary. I make them all the time. I leave off the frosting to save calories, then I don't feel quite so bad. :) I freeze the dough and slice when I have company. My DIL ate the lot a couple weeks ago.
And a naughty little secret? This cookie dough tastes better than chocolate chip cookie dough.

Unknown said...

Oh my, I would have to hide these from myself! So delicious looking!

Unknown said...

I'm sold just with the way they look! And the amaretto icing is just an added bonus!

The Harried Cook said...

Love cookies with almonds in them... I often snack on dried apricots but I have never baked with them! Great recipe! Thank you, Mary!

The Harried Cook said...

Love cookies with almonds in them... I often snack on dried apricots but I have never baked with them! Great recipe! Thank you, Mary!

Penny said...

What an interesting cookie. It appeals to me because it is so different. I will be trying it Mary. Thank you.

Gloria Baker said...

what lovely cookies Mary, look amazing, blessings to you:)

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I think dried apricots are underused when it comes to sweets of all types. It's too bad, because they have wonderful flavor and "chew." This sounds like a lovely combination that would really enhance and afternoon tea break!

Ola said...

oh, I love dried apricots, but also i love dried cherries - can I mix half portion of apricots and half portion of cherries in it? do you think it's a good idea? I seems to be perfect for Easter breakfast dessert, I have to bake them :) Blessings!

Pam said...

They look so delicious!! I am also loving the plate too.

Tricia @ saving room for dessert said...

Almond and apricots together sounds perfect - at least one perfect bite! These look delicious!

Rita said...

The word Apricot got my instant attention;gotta try these.
Rita

Patti said...

Yes, I will be trying these. I love almond anything!! Also love Giada!!

Thanks for sharing,
Patti

Catherine said...

Dear Mary, What beautiful cookies for a cup of tea. Blessings my dear friend, Catherine xo

Jo-Lyn said...

Yumminess!! =)

Kim said...

Mary - I made these cookies awhile back and we really enjoyed them. Yours look really pretty.

Claudia said...

I am a huge fan of not-too-sweet cookies. Most of the Italian cookies I do are not sweet. A little drizzle of amaretto is quite enough! This is perfect for afternoon tea! (But you knew that.)

Joanne said...

I always keep amaretto around for adding icing to less-sweet baked goods, actually! These sound like a great breakfast cookie!

QembarDelites said...

Looks delicious and I love almonds too!

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Oh, those look really nice. I love shortbread and am a big fan of dried apricots. They are so lovely and Brittish looking ;-)

tender b. said...

These look like my kind of cookies!

Christine's Pantry said...

Cookies sound wonderful. I'd like a few cookies with cup of coffee.

A Sunflower Life said...

This reminds me of a recipe my grandmother had that included pecans and chopped maraschino cherries. I'll have to try them. I wonder if dried cherries would work?

Banana Wonder said...

My two favorite things combined! Love it!

France@beyondthepeel said...

I love a cookie that's not too sweet to go with tea. Thank you for the recommendation.

http://platanosmangoes.com said...

Mary I am still laughing from your French experience. Great looking cookies. I will save this for a baking day...like I can bake...but will try.

lena said...

it sounds lovely and nutty too and also loving the glaze icing on top of the cookies! have a good day, mary!

Choc Chip Uru said...

These cookies look simply beautiful and tasty to boot - that glaze just makes it over the top and delicious :D
Thanks for sharing!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

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