Austrian Nut Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in egg yolks, 2 at a time. Gradually beat in flour., Divide dough into 3 portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in walnuts., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. round cookie cutter. Spread each cookie with 1 teaspoon walnut mixture to within 1/4-in. of edges. Fold dough almost in half over filling, allowing filling to show. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Dust cookies with additional confectioner's sugar. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg yolk; mix until fluffy. Stir in the flour, and refrigerate dough for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F ( 150 degrees C ). Grease cookie sheets.
• Measure out the dough by teaspoonfuls, and roll into balls. Dip the balls into chopped almonds and set on the prepared cookie sheet 1 inch apart. With a finger, make an indention in each cookie, fill the indention up with jam using a teaspoon or a pastry bag. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, cookies should be golden brown. Remove from pan after baking to cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Grate almonds using nut grater.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with flat beater, beat almonds, powdered sugar, and butter until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended.
• Whisk together flour and salt. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until incorporated and dough begins to come away from sides of bowl.
• Scrape mixture into a plastic bag and press it together. Remove dough from bag and transfer to a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use the edges of the wrap to knead dough until smooth.
• Divide dough into quarters. Wrap with plastic and flatten into disks. Place in freezer bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, soak dried apricots in 2 cups water for 2 hours. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes on the lowest heat until apricots are very soft. If water evaporates, add a little extra.
• In a food processor, pulse apricots and liquid with sugar, lemon zest, and brandy.
• Return mixture to saucepan and simmer, stirring, 10-15 minutes, until deep orange and thick.
• Transfer to a bowl; let cool. (You will need only about 2/3 cup, but the leftover will keep almost indefinitely when refrigerated.)
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Set 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour dough and re-cover it with plastic wrap. Let dough soften until malleable, about 10 minutes. Roll 1/8" thick, adding more flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking.
• Cut out 20 cookies. Place 1/2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Set aside scraps; cover with plastic wrap.) Bake cookies 4 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet then continue baking for 2-6 minutes, or until edges brown.
• Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
• Repeat process with remaining dough disks. (After the last batch is cut, you can knead together all the scraps and repeat chilling, rerolling, and cutting.)
• Heat chocolate in a bowl set over hot water (not touching), stirring with a silicone spatula, until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until fully melted.
• Add cream; stir until smooth. (The mixture should drop thickly from the spatula. If the ganache thickens before it's used, reheat in the microwave in 3-second bursts.) Set aside.
• Spread bottoms of half of the cookies with a thin layer of apricot filling. Spread bottoms of the remaining cookies with a slightly thicker ganache layer. Set the chocolate cookies, coated side down, on the apricot cookies. Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Store airtight at room temperature, 5 days; frozen, 6 months.