Walnut Cookie Hearts Filled With Fig Or Apricot Jam Recipes

FIG AND WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the pastry dough: Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in 2 and flatten into disks. Wrap the dough disks in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, for the filling and cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the figs and raisins in a food processor. Add the honey, orange juice, cinnamon, and lemon zest, and pulse just to blend. Scrape the fig mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the walnuts. Transfer the fruit mixture to a pastry bag.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a floured work surface to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out dough rounds. Gather the dough scraps into a disk, then cover and refrigerate while assembling the cookies. Spoon the fruit mixture in the center of each dough round. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Arrange the cookies evenly apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg wash. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 18 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with the refrigerated dough scraps and remaining filling.

WALNUT TOASTS WITH FIG JAM AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Steps:

• Top walnut bread with cheese shavings and a dollop of fig jam.

FRESH FIG AND WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
• Cream sugar, shortening, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until blended; mixture will be a little dry. Stir in figs and walnuts; mixture will get added moisture from the figs. Use a medium cookie scoop to drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges start to brown, 12 to 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat to scoop and bake remaining batches.

FIG, WALNUT & WHITE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, cream, lemon peel and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in figs, 3/4 cup baking chips and walnuts. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a microwave, melt remaining chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

FIG AND HONEY JAM WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Combine figs, honey, water, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, cloves, salt, and ginger in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until figs are soft, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Blend figs with an immersion blender until mixture reaches desired consistency. Stir in walnuts. Cook until flavors combine, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and pour fig mixture into a container; transfer to the refrigerator.

FIG AND WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• For the pastry dough: Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in 2 and flatten into disks. Wrap the dough disks in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, for the filling and cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the figs and raisins in a food processor. Add the honey, orange juice, cinnamon, and lemon zest, and pulse just to blend. Scrape the fig mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the walnuts. Transfer the fruit mixture to a pastry bag.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a floured work surface to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter biscuit cutter, cut out dough rounds. Gather the dough scraps into a disk, then cover and refrigerate while assembling the cookies. Spoon the fruit mixture in the center of each dough round. Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Arrange the cookies evenly apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the cookies with egg wash. Bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 18 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely. Repeat with the refrigerated dough scraps and remaining filling.

JAM-FILLED WREATHS & HEARTS

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and nuts; mix well. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle. , On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. round- or 2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Using a 1-in. round- or heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the center of half of the cookies. Place solid and window cookies on lightly greased baking sheets. , Bake at 400° for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. , Spread 1 tsp. jam over bottoms of solid cookies; top with window cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Fill centers with additional jam if desired.

APRICOT WALNUT BARS

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with 1 sheet of foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides, then butter foil.
• Pulse flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add yolks and vanilla and pulse just until clumps of dough form, about 30 seconds.
• Press three fourths of dough evenly onto bottom of pan, then spread with apricot preserves. Crumble remaining dough over preserves and sprinkle evenly with walnuts.
• Bake until top is golden brown and preserves are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack. Lift from pan by grasping both ends of foil. Cut into 32 bars and lift bars off foil with a spatula.

CHOCOLATE, WALNUT AND APRICOT COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the butter, oil, sugar and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor, and process for about 10 seconds, just until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and process again until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add the flour, and process just until it is incorporated and the dough mixture is smooth, about 5 seconds.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl and stir in the walnut and apricot pieces and the chocolate chips. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie about 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

WALNUT COOKIE HEARTS FILLED WITH FIG OR APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, walnuts, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and nutmeg. Process until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until blended into the dry ingredients and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small cup, whisk together the egg yolks, water and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and process until the dough holds together in a stiff mass. Transfer the dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes, until firm but not hard.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide the chilled dough in half (keep the piece you are not working on refrigerated). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a thickness slightly less than 1/4-inch. If the top of the dough is sticky, sprinkle it lightly with additional flour. Using a heart-shaped (or round) cutter 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter, cut cookies from the rolled-our dough. Gather the scraps together, reroll them, and cut additional cookies. As cookies are cut, place them, about 1/2-inch apart, on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the cookies look dry. Cool about 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely before filling. Continue rolling, cutting and baking until all the dough is used.
• To assemble and decorate the cookies, place half of them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spread each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam, then top with a second cookie. When all the cookies have been filled, top each with about 1/2 teaspoon melted chocolate, spreading the chocolate with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate lightly with walnuts. Let the cookies stand 2 - 3 hours, or until the chocolate if firm, then store them in an airtight container.
• ***An alternative to rolling out the dough: For an easy, though not heart-shaped variation, the dough can be chilled, sliced and baked like refrigerator cookies. Place the prepared dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. With your hands, roll and pat each piece into a log about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches across. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours, until firm. (The dough will keep refrigerated for several days.) Cut the logs into slices slightly less than 1/4-inch thick, then bake, fill and decorate as directed.