Apricot Windows 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.

HAZELNUT-APRICOT WINDOWS

Steps:

• Combine hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon sugar in processor; grind nuts finely. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2/3 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in hazelnut mixture, then egg, egg yolk, lemon peel, lemon extract, salt, and cinnamon. Beat in flour. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 4 pieces. Flatten each into disk and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 dough piece between sheets of waxed paper or parchment to scant 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkling dough with flour to prevent sticking and occasionally peeling off top paper to remove wrinkles. Peel off top sheet. Using 2-inch-diameter fluted cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and reroll, cutting out more cookies and placing on sheets. Using 1-inch-diameter fluted cutter, cut out centers from half of cookies, making rings. Gather centers as scraps. Bake cookies 5 minutes. Reverse sheets; bake cookies until light golden, about 6 minutes longer. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Arrange whole cookie rounds on work surface. Drop generous 1/2 teaspoon jam in center of each. Arrange cookie rings on work surface. Sift powdered sugar over. Place 1 ring cookie on each whole round, forming sandwich with jam in cutout center. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper in refrigerator up to 3 days.)

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Mix apricots and lemon juice in a large pot; add sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook and stir until apricot mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
• Meanwhile, prepare jars, lids, and rings by cleaning and sterilizing in dishwasher or boiling water bath. Leave lids in simmering water until ready to seal jars.
• Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Toss the apricots, sugar, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in a large saucepan to combine, then mash slightly to release some of the apricot juice. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the apricots to macerate and the sugar to dissolve. Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer to chill; this will be used to test the doneness of the jam.
• Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. (See Cook's Note for suggested add-in.) Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until the jam becomes thick and syrupy, about 35 minutes. To test doneness, place a small amount of the jam onto the chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger or a spoon through the jam. If it holds its shape and thickness, the jam is done; remove from the heat. If it's runny, continue to cook and test again in 5-minute increments. Once the jam has reached the right consistency, transfer to jars and cool completely before storing, tightly covered. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

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 WINDOWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat an 11 by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Spoon jam into a bowl, and beat with a rubber spatula to smooth out texture; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar 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 a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip (such as Ateco #11). Fold the end over to keep dough from drying out.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining dough into prepared pan as evenly and smoothly as possible. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and transfer to a heatproof surface. Using an offset spatula, spread jam on top in an even layer. Using a 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 sheet halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 1 1/2 by 3-inch bars or 3-inch squares. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.