Joulutortut Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add sugar and lemon zest and continue to beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and beat until combined. Beat in flour mixture on low speed until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a square, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one-half of dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment, roll out dough into a square about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out squares using a 3 1/2-inch square cutter, then carefully transfer to prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart. If dough becomes too soft, transfer parchment with dough to a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm.
• Place 1 teaspoon preserves in the center of each square. Using a small paring knife, cut 1 1/4-inch slits diagonally from each corner toward the filling. Fold every other tip over to cover filling, forming a pinwheel. Press lightly to seal. If dough becomes soft, refrigerate until firm.
• Lightly beat remaining egg with remaining pinch of salt. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush tops of cookies with egg wash. Bake until edges are golden and cookies are slightly puffed, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil 1 bag of pitted prunes with 1/4 cup of water 1/2 cup of sugar and a couple teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. After boiling let this mixture simmer for about 30 minutes until it is soft. Give it a stir once in a while. This simmering also give the kitchen a lovely Finnish Christmas scent. Mix all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands (it must be with your hands no mixers no spoons). Once all the ingredients are well mixed let the dough chill for a few hours. Then sprinkle flour on your clean kitchen counter. Take half the dough out leave the other half in the fridge. Roll it out and cut into several 3-inch squares with a knife. Cut slits in all four corners of each square. Fill the center with a couple teaspoons of the prune filling. Then create the star by pulling down alternate corners of the square. Press the alternate corners down into the filling to make them stick. Do the same with the second half of the dough. Bake Joulu Tortut on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degree F for well until you start to smell the butter and cream cheese- about 15 minutes. But really just peer in the over and look at them. If they have a nice golden color they re done. Cool on wire racks.