Best Layered Apricot Nut Cookies Recipes

WINNING APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Fold in coconut and walnuts., Press two-thirds of dough onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Spread with preserves; crumble remaining dough over preserves. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

APRICOT AND NUT COOKIES WITH AMARETTO ICING

Steps:

• For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
• For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.
• Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

APRICOT RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together 1 cup softened butter and 8 oz softened cream cheese for a few minutes. The mixture should become light and airy.
• Then add ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat again for a few minutes.
• Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ tsp salt and mix again until everything combines. Don't overmix this step.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, flatten into a dish, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• When ready to bake, take the dough out of refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before baking and let it sit on the counter.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F, line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Roll out each piece of dough in a rectangular shape. Add about ¼ cup apricot jam and spread it in a thin layer. Then sprinkle over about 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts.
• Roll the dough in a log, then cut the log into about 1-1 ½-inch pieces.
• Place the cookies on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Brush them over with egg wash and sprinkle some course sugar on top.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden/brown.

LAYERED APRICOT DELIGHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl beat flour and butter until blended.
• Stir in walnuts.
• Spread mixture into bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• cool in dish on a wire rack.
• In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, cornstarch and gelatin.
• Reserving juice, drain and slice apricots.
• Add enough water to reserved apricot juice to make 1 3/4 cups.
• Stir juice mixture into sugar mixture.
• Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes clear (about 26 minutes).
• Cool to room temperature.
• Stir apricots into gelatin mixture.
• In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
• Fold in whipped cream.
• Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
• Spoon apricot mixture over cream cheese layer.
• Cover and chill 4 hours or until set.
• To serve, cut into 3-inch squares.
• Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

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.