Peanut Butter Apricot Cookies Recipes

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.

PEANUT BUTTER APRICOT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.
• Whisk together dry ingredients.
• Blend wet ingredients until as close to smooth as possible.
• Mix dry ingredients with the wet mixture until fully incorporated. The batter will be thick and sticky, so it would probably be easiest to do this with a fork or mixing spoon.
• Stir in the oats and apricots.
• Form into balls and flatten onto parchment paper. Again, this is easier to do with wet hands.
• Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops look golden (don't wait for them to brown or they will be too hard when they cool).
• To store (and for transportation purposes), I like to wrap each cookie in plastic wrap. Voila! Bakery-style!

COOKIE BUTTER AND APRICOT ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with plastic wrap, leaving about 2 inches of overhang on all sides. Stir together the apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the cookie butter, sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cream and continue to beat, starting on medium speed until the cream and cookie butter mixture are combined and then increasing the speed to medium high, until very stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• Spread a quarter of the cookie butter-cream on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Evenly dollop with 3 tablespoons of preserves. Arrange 10 cookies on top of the preserves, breaking some up into little pieces to fill in the gaps. Repeat this layering process 2 more times, each time with a quarter of the cookie-butter cream, 3 tablespoons of the preserves and 10 cookies. Make a final cookie butter-cream layer with the remaining mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 12. Refrigerate the remaining preserves.
• Once completely chilled, remove the plastic wrap from the top of the icebox cake and invert onto a platter. Remove the rest of the plastic wrap. Lightly crush the reserved cookies and sprinkle on top of the cake. Drizzle the remaining preserves over the cookie crumbles.

APRICOT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan combine the apricots, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and 2/3 cup of water, simmer the mixture for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by half, and add the rum. Let the mixture cool slightly and in a blender purée it.
• In a bowl whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and a pinch of salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together the butter, the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the vanilla and the egg, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Add the flour mixture and beat the dough until it is just combined. Form the dough into a log, chill it for 1 hour, and divide it into 8 pieces.
• Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, on a sheet of plastic wrap form the pieces into 8-inch ropes, wrapping the plastic wrap around the ropes to keep the dough from sticking, and on 2 baking sheets pat the rope into a 8- by 1 1/2-inch rectangles. Make a canal down the center of each rectangle with your finger and spread the apricot purée in the canals. Bake the rectangles in 2 batches in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden, transfer them to racks, and let them cool. In a small bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar, the lemon juice, and enough water to make a thick but pourable icing, drizzle the icing over the rectangles diagonally into 1-inch strips. The cookies keep in an airtight container for 1 week.

APRICOT PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a thick rectangle; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm or overnight., In a small saucepan, combine the apricots, water, remaining sugar and, if desired, liqueur; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in pecans if desired; cool completely., On a floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12x9-in. rectangle. Evenly spread half of the apricot mixture over each rectangle to within 1/2-in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm., Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

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.

SOFT OATMEAL APRICOT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in molasses. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine remaining ingredients; stir into batter. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. , Shape into 1-in. balls and place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until browned.

APRICOT OATMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugars 2 minutes or until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl.
• Reduce speed to low; beat in eggs, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, almond extract, and 1/2 teaspoon salt just until blended.
• Stir in oats and remaining ingredients.
• Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake cookies 14 to 15 minutes or until tops are golden.
• Cool cookies on wire racks.
• Repeat with remaining dough.

APRICOT PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets with shortening. On generously floured surface, roll dough into 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into 48 (2-inch) squares, 8 rows by 6 rows. Use metal spatula to place squares 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.
• Spread each square with about 1/4 teaspoon jam. On each square, cut from each corner to 1/4 inch from center. Bring every other point to center and press together to form pinwheel. Sprinkle each with almonds.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool.

APRICOT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Simmer apricots, water, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is reduced by about half, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum, then cool slightly. Purée in a food processor or blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Form dough into a log and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide dough into 8 pieces. Put 1 piece of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, then fold plastic wrap over dough. Form piece into an 8-inch rope (dough will be very soft). Transfer in plastic wrap to 1 of 2 ungreased baking sheets, then remove plastic wrap. Pat rope into an 8- by 1 1/2-inch rectangle. Make more ropes and pat into rectangles in same manner, arranging them about 2 inches apart. Make a shallow trough lengthwise down center of each rectangle with your finger and spread apricot pureé in trough. Bake in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Whisk together confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and enough water (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) to make a thick but pourable icing. Drizzle icing over rectangles and cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick strips. Let stand until icing is set, about 15 minutes.
• Cooks' note:
• • Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax or parchment paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.