Virginia Theological Seminary

Apricot Jam Cookies

By Anne L. Watson, from Baking with Cookie Molds. She particularly recommends this recipe if you are just beginning to use cookie molds.

Sweet and subtle, these cookies are a favorite. The jam doesn't have a strong effect on the cookie's color, so the dough works well with fairly detailed molds. This is one of the easiest cookies to unmold, and the detail is almost always sharp and perfect.

Metric measurements given here are not exact conversions but approximations, usually rounded to the nearest five units. Also given in parentheses are U.K. equivalents to U.S. ingredients and terms.

Ingredients

1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg 2/3 cup (160 milliliters) sieved apricot jam or fruit spread (See notes below.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon natural lemon flavoring
2/3 cup (135 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
About 4 1/2 cups (630 grams) all-purpose flour (plain flour)

Directions

  1. Melt the butter and set aside.
  2. Beat the egg in a large bowl until yolk and white are fully mixed.
  3. Mix the jam, vanilla extract, and lemon flavoring. Add to the egg and beat until well mixed.
  4. Mix the sugar and salt. Add to the egg mixture and beat until well mixed.
  5. Add the melted butter slowly and beat until well mixed.
  6. Add flour slowly until the mixture is solid enough to knead.
  7. Transfer to your work surface and knead in more flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
  8. Wrap or cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 1/2 hour—until it's firm but still flexible.
  9. Roll and form the dough with a cavity mold [according to the directions for Anne's Lemon Cookies, or with an impression mold according to the directions in the chapter "More about Molds" in Baking with Cookie Molds].
  10. Refrigerate the cookies while you preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), or lower for especially thick cookies.
  11. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned and the top has begun to firm up.

Notes

This cookie is best made with jam that's mostly fruit—additives don't enhance the apricot flavor. Before measuring, use a blender to make the jam into a smooth puree, and put it through a sieve so no chunks will ruin the molding of your cookies.

Variations

This is also wonderful as a sandwich cookie with an apricot filling. (For instructions on making sandwich cookies, see the chapter "Special Effects.")

Other jams and flavorings will work as well. The possibilities are endless—imagine a combination of plum jam and ground cinnamon, or strawberry jam with orange flavoring.

Book cover

Baking with Cookie Molds, by Anne L. Watson, Shepard Publications, 2010, 2018.

Recipes and technique to successfully make beautiful molded cookies—especially St. Nicholas, of course! Up-dated, expanded, and full-color edition.

Purchase from amazon.com, amazon.ca or amazon.uk.

Book cover

Cookie Molds Around the Year: An Almanac of Molds, Cookies, and Other Treats for Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Other Holidays, and Every Season, by Anne L. Watson, Next River Books, 2017.

More recipes, more tips, and more beautiful photos of molded cookies for every occasion. A good companion and expansion to Baking with Cookie Molds.

Purchase from amazon.com, amazon.ca or amazon.uk and help support stnicholascenter.org; thank you.

From Anne L. Watson, Baking with Cookie Molds, Shepard Publications, 2016. Used by permission.

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