Apricots are an excellent fruit for cookies. I buy them packaged, and they are soft and dices quickly. The ones at my store sell Turkish Apricots #4. Well, of course, I am no expert on the different apricot varieties. I had to go digging on the Internet to get the scoop on these little yellow-orange pieces of fruit. On my quest to find info on Turkish Apricots, I found a website with great information. Nutritional Value of Turkish Apricots.
All I know is that they are great for putting in cookies, and they seem to be a great snack to munch on if you are looking for a fruit fix. Dried fruit works better with the powdered sugar in this type of cookie. They hold their shape, flavor and do not make your cookie dough a wet mess.
Because apricot and vanilla go so well together, I wanted the cookie dough to have a fabulous presence to match the apricot. So I choose half of my vanilla flavor to be vanilla bean paste. The economic side of my brain said, you know how expensive vanilla bean paste is, and I nodded yes to myself (I promise I am of sound mind most of the time). So the other half is vanilla extract. Another reason was I was afraid it would have too strong a vanilla taste. Either way, vanilla and apricots are perfect for each other.
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Ingredients for Apricot Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla bean paste
- Vanilla Extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher Salt
- Almonds blanched
- Dried Apricots
How to Make Shortbread Cookies
Have to do some prep before you can bake. So chop those dried apricots into small pieces and set them aside.
I also weighed my powdered sugar in one bowl and set that aside. Next, I weigh or measure the flour into a bowl. I then add the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the flour and run a whisk through to blend.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
I cube the butter into the mixer bowl. Doing this help to warm up the butter a little faster if it is not quite room temperature.
Mix the butter on a medium mixer speed until you get soft swirls and peak. About 2 minutes.
Now, add the powdered sugar and start on a low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Then turn the mixer speed to a medium and mix for about 3 minutes. It gets a little puffy looking.
Next, add the vanilla bean paste and the vanilla extract. Blend until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and add about a third at a time the flour mixture. Try not to over mix the flour it only takes about 10 seconds for each third to be mixed into the dough.
Finally, add the apricots and almonds and mix for about 10 to 15 seconds. You can always make sure the fixings are spread evenly throughout the cookie dough once it is on the pastry mat.
If needed, lightly dust the pastry mat with powdered sugar, then dump all the cookie dough onto the mat. Now you can mix by hand any stray flour or check to see if the apricots and almonds are not clumped into one spot. Now to make the logs.
One Log or Two Logs
How do you choose if you should make one or two logs? If it is just you or two of you, I would say one log. But if I have a family or have company, I would make 2 logs. You get a few more cookies with two logs.
I also found that a baguette pan is outstanding for keeping the log's shape while chilling in the fridge. I have in the past taken the cardboard tube in a paper towel and cut it length wise and used that for keeping the log shape when chilling.
One Log
I roll all the cookie dough to a 16 to 17 inches long log. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 40 minutes before slicing. I slice the chilled log into ½-inch slices and bake at the same temperature and time as I do for the 2 logs.
Two Logs
I prefer 2 logs because I never know who is going to show up at my house. So the rest of the instructions are for 2 logs.
The logs are about 10 inches logs and not as thick as for one log, so that is why I make them a little thicker when slicing them to be baked.
Wrap each log with plastic wrap. I just roll the log onto the plastic wrap and tuck the end under.
The baguette pan cradles the logs perfectly. I have had my share of one side on my log being flat from sitting in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 to 40 minutes.
Slice and Bake
Take one log out of the refrigerator and unwrap the plastic wrap and place it on a cutting board. I usually score the top of the log first. This helps to make the slices of the cookies all the same width. I score them about ¾ of an inch.
Now slice the log and add the slices to a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan. They only spread a little so you can fit the whole log into a pan.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 11-13 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet pan for about 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack.
Any time you have powdered sugar in the cookie dough, I try not to move them too much. They are a little fragile until they cool and set.
Please enjoy!
FAQ's
No, I would not use fresh for this type of cookie. Fresh fruit will make this type of cookie a soggy mess.
You could add pine nuts, chopped pistachios, or even chopped walnuts for a couple of ideas.
I use a container that has a tight lid and they stay good for at least a week.
If you are adventurous, you might try adding some dried cranberries, dried cherries, or adding some mini white chocolate chips.
Other Apricot Cookies
Recipe
Apricot with Vanilla Bean Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- ⅔ cup (80 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ½ cup (62.5 g) Almonds blanched
- 1 cup (130 g) Dried Apricots rough chopped
Instructions
- Chop the dried apricots into small pieces (they do not have to be the same size). Weigh or measure the powdered sugar and set it aside. In a separate bowl, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour bowl the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt running a whisk through to blend.
- In a stand or hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is creamy and has soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Turn your mixer down to a low setting and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, turn the speed back to medium and mix for about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla bean and the vanilla extract and mix through the cookie dough.
- Turn the mixer to low and add about a third at a time the flour mixture until incorporated. Add the apricots and almonds and just mix on low for 10 to 15 seconds. You just want the apricots and almonds to be incorporated through the cookie dough and not mashed.
- I put the cookie dough straight from the mixer bowl onto a pastry mat or you can lightly dust the pastry mat with powdered sugar first if needed. Then divide the cookie dough in half and roll into 2 logs. My logs were about 10" long and about 2" in diameter. You can adjust the length based on the size of cookies you want. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Take a cookie dough log from the refrigerator. I score the log into ¾" thick sections, then slice the log. This way, you have even sized cookies. Place all the cookies from that log onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. When removing from the oven, I only let them sit on the sheet pan for about a minute before gently moving them to a cooling rack.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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