Apricot Almond Shortbread Shells Recipes

APRICOT ALMOND SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Beat butter and sugar in mixer bowl until fluffy.
• Beat in egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts.
• Mix in flour and toasted almonds until the mixture forms a soft dough.
• Divide dough in half.
• Press one half into 15x10-inch jellyroll pan.
• Spread evenly with preserves.
• Cover completely with remaining dough (flatten pieces with hands and carefully patch on top of preserve layer).
• Bake 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cut into 3x1-inch bars.
• Can be made ahead.
• Wrap and freeze up to 1 month.
• Thaw wrapped at room temperature.

ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Blend and pulse the 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor with the sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts that is fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.
• Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan and spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and dock (prick) the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the remaining whole almonds in the egg white; evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Cool the short bread in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. Cool shortbreads on a rack completely. (Alternatively present the shortbread as 1 large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely and remove the tart ring. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.) Serve. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

APRICOT ALMOND SHORTBREAD SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter 36 mini-muffin cups.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a food processor pulse mixture with almonds until combined well. Add butter and almond extract and blend until a dough just forms, about 1 minute.
• On a lightly floured surface with floured hands form dough into thirty-six 1-inch balls. Press balls lightly into cups and bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool shortbreads in cups on racks 2 minutes and with a 3/4-inch melon-ball cutter carefully scoop out an indentation about 1/4 inch deep in centers. Cool shells completely. Gently loosen sides of shells with a thin knife and carefully remove from cups (shells will be very fragile). Shells may be make 3 days ahead and kept in am airtight container at room temperature.

APRICOT ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Make purée:
• In a small heavy saucepan simmer purée ingredients, covered, 10 minutes. In a food processor purée mixture until smooth. Purée may be make 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make brandied cream:
• In a small bowl fold brandy and sugar into whipped cream and chill, covered.
• Transfer purée and brandied cream to separate pastry bags fitted with 1/4-inch star tips. Pipe cream into shells until level with tops and pipe a 1/2-inch-high mound of purée on top.
• Sprinkle desserts with confectioners' sugar and garnish with almonds.

APRICOT ALMOND GALETTE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out pie crust onto a baking sheet.
• Toss the quartered apricots with the white sugar in a bowl. Mix almond meal, confectioners' sugar, and egg together in another bowl to create a paste. Spread almond paste on the center of the pie crust, leaving 1/2 inch of bare crust all around the edge. Arrange the sugared apricots over the almond paste. Fold the 1/2-inch bare edge of the crust inward over the almond paste and apricots, leaving the center of the tart uncovered. Crimp the edge down with a fork as you go around the tart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Brush the melted apricot jam over the hot galette. Slice and serve.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well (mixture will be crumbly). Press into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Carefully spread with apricot preserves., In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread over preserves (egg white layer will be thin). Sprinkle with walnuts. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and edges are bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Refrigerate leftovers.

APRICOT BARS WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• For the shortbread crust: blend flour, sugar and salt together for about 10 seconds in a processor.
• Add in cold butter using on/off turns, and process until coarse meal forms.
• Press crumbs firmly into bottom of the pan.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is golden, remove and keep oven heat on to same temperature.
• To make the filling: place apricots in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer until soft (about 4 minutes) drain, and set aside.
• In a small bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer beat eggs in a large bowl for about 2 minutes.
• Add in brown sugar and vanilla and beat until thick.
• Stir in flour mixture.
• Mix/mix in the apricots and nuts.
• Spread over the shortbread crust.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until puffed and dark golden brown.
• Cool in dish.
• Cut into small squares or triangles, and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. While the crust is baking, place apricots in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Return the apricots and reserved liquid to the pan, and stir in the lemon zest. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the apricot mixture. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Spread onto the prepared crust, and sprinkle the walnuts over.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line a 20cm square shallow cake tin with baking parchment. Put the apricots and conserve in a small pan with 4 tbsp water, simmer over a medium heat until thick, then mash the apricots a little with a fork and set aside to cool.
• Tip the butter, sugar and vanilla into a large bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and ground rice, using a wooden spoon and then your hands to bring the mixture together as a dough. Divide into 2 pieces.
• Use your fingers to spread 1 piece of shortbread dough over the bottom of the tin. Spread the apricots over the top, leaving a small border around the edge. Roll out the remaining dough to a 20cm square and place on top of the apricot filling. Use your finger to make an indent all around the edges of the shortbread, then prick the top all over with a fork. Bake for 25-30 mins until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Leave to cool in the tin, then sprinkle with caster sugar and cut into 16 squares.

LUSCIOUS APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8- by-2-inch baking pan, and set aside.
• Place apricots in a small saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook until plumped, about 15 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, and chop fine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, butter, and granulated sugar. Using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, blend until crumbly and combined. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Using your hands, pat crust evenly into pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Combine remaining 1/3 cup flour, reserved chopped apricots, brown sugar, eggs, walnuts, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, beat until combined; scrape down sides of bowl twice. Pour mixture over crust, and return to oven. Bake until top is golden, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

ALMOND APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a microwave, melt 1 cup chips; stir until smooth. Set aside. , In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chips and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Spread half of the batter into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Spread with jam., Stir remaining chips into remaining batter. Drop by tablespoonfuls over jam; carefully spread over top. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares; cut squares in half.

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.