Apricot Windows
This recipe captures the sweetness of apricot jam, and sets it atop a thin, buttery cookie.
Holiday Cookies 2001, Special Issue Holiday 2001
http://www.marthastewart.com/341814/apricot-windows
- Yield Makes 4 dozen bars or 2 dozen squares
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups apricot jam, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 pound plus 2 ounces (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Vegetable-oil cooking spray
Directions
- 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.
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