Mazurka Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
• For the cookie: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat well, and then scrape down the sides.
• While mixing on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 batches. Scrape down the bowl between each addition, and mix until just blended.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until light golden brown with spots of darker golden brown and darker edges, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the fruit: Whisk the cornstarch and sugar together in a small saucepan. Whisk in orange juice until mixture dissolves. Stir in the fruits and candied orange peel. Bring to a simmer over medium, stirring often; continue to cook, stirring until thickened into a compote, about 3 minutes more. You should be able to draw the spoon along the bottom of pan and see the pan with no liquid seeping back. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the nuts and lemon zest.
• Spread fruit evenly over the top of the cooled crust.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake mazurkas until golden brown around edges and fruit sets but is still slightly glossy and jewel-like, about 10 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.
• Cut, using an oiled knife, into 24 bars. Serve.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the cooking pan (about 9" in diameter). First spread vegetable oil over the bottom and the sides with your fingers or a brush. Then, pour the farina into the oiled pan and tilt it over the sink until there is a thin coat of farina covering all surfaces that the dough will touch. This makes the cake easy to remove and gives it an extra bit of texture.
• 2. Chop the nuts into bits. When working with walnuts, I usually just break them with my hands. Slice the dried fruit. Choose the size that fits your taste. Set the cutting board aside.
• 3. Combine eggs, sugar and any flavorings you have in a large bowl. Use a mixer to beat to this mixture until the sugar dissolves (may take a couple of minutes for dark brown sugar), or almost dissolves.
• 4. Add 1/3 of the flour, mix it in with the mixer. Repeat twice until all flour is integrated. The dough will be slightly runny, but rather viscous. It should pour, but not splatter.
• 5. With a wooden spoon, thoroughly mix the nuts and dried fruit into the dough. The dough will be very chunky. That's normal.
• 6. Now for the fun part. Put the baking soda (not powder!) into a small dry cup. Hold a teaspoon ready in your hand as you squeeze lemon over the cup. Don't worry about the exact amount of the lemon juice. You need just enough for all of the soda to react with it. As the soda bubbles vigorously, mix it with the spoon so that all of it reacts with the juice. These are the bubbles that will cause the cake to rise. From now on your actions should be swift: the sooner you put the dough into the oven, the more time these bubbles have to raise your dough. So, carefully fold the bubbles into the dough. Transfer the dough into the prepared pan. With a spoon, spread the dough so that it evenly covers the bottom of the pan.
• 7. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes. To test for readiness, insert a dry wooden chopstick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean - the cake is done. Let the cake cool before cutting.

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, and egg in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in mashed egg yolks. Add flour, ground almonds, and lemon zest. Knead into a dough. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out 2/3 of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle the size of the baking sheet. Lay onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll remaining dough into finger-thick rolls. Press dough rolls onto the cake in a diamond-shaped pattern. Brush rolls with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Pour 1/4 cup water into a saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin powder on top. Let stand until softened, about 1 minute. Place over low heat; stir constantly until granules are completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Heat cherry and apricot preserves in 2 small pots over low heat until hot. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Mix half of the dissolved gelatin into each flavor. Alternate filling the diamond shapes of the cake with the 2 different flavors. Arrange sliced almonds and candied cherries into flower shapes on top.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, coconut, and walnuts together in a bowl. Pour melted butter over the flour mixture and mix. The mixture should clump together easily when compressed.
• Press about half the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with a layer of raspberry preserves. Finish by topping with the remaining flour mixture, patting lightly to complete the 'crust.'
• Bake in preheated oven until browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Cream butter until fluffy. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt and add to butter, alternating with the egg yolks. Beat until well mixed. Carefully stir in almonds and citrus zest.
• Pat dough into two 10-inch buttered and parchment-lined cake pans.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
• For the Apricot Topping: Heat jam gently. Add liqueur. Strain warm glaze through a fine sieve and spread atop cooked mazurka.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter and cool.
• Combine all dry ingredients in mixer with paddle.
• Add melted butter until well combined.
• Press half of the mixture in a half sheet pan and roll to firm.
• Spread with jam to within 1/2-inch of edges.
• Spread remaining mixture evenly on top and press down lightly.
• Bake until golden brown.

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack one third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 325 degrees
• 2. Place the flour, salt and sugar in processor. Cut in 1/2 inch butter cubes with pulse mode until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the coconut, oatmeal and walnuts, pulse to blend. Add the 1/4 cup of melted butter, pulse again.
• 3. Place about half ( 2-3 cups) of the mixture in an unbuttered 8-inch square cake pan. Press evenly with your fingertips. Cover with a piece of wax paper and with the palm of your hand, press against the paper to make a smooth, compact layer. Remove wax paper.
• 4. Spread raspberry jam in an even layer over the pastry, staying 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the edges. Sprinkle the remaining pastry evenly over the filling. Recipe says to repeat wax paper thing but I haven't done it.
• 5. Bake4 for 60 to 70 minutes until the top is barely semi firm to the touch.
• 6. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes or so; be sure to cut around the sides to loosen from the pan before cutting and serving.

Steps:

• Sift 2 cups flour and sugar together into a deep mixing bowl.
• Use a spoon to push the egg yolks through a fine sieve into the flour mixture; mix well.
• Add the almonds, vanilla, and cream to flour mixture; and beat in 1/2 lb of butter, a few tablespoons at a time.
• Knead with your hands until dough is smooth and can be formed into a compact ball.
• Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Grease a large cookie sheet with the remaining tablespoon of butter; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, tipping from side to side to cover completely and evenly.
• Turn the sheet upside down and tap on the bottom to shake off any excess flour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4" thin and place on buttered cookie sheet, using fingers to spread dough so it completely covers the bottom of the pan.
• Brush entire surface with egg, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds, gently pressing them into the dough (or if you used walnuts in the dough, you may prefer to use the meringue topping: if you do, beat the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla, beating continuously; spread over the dough instead of the egg and nuts).
• Bake until pastry is golden brown (20-25 minutes).
• Remove from oven, and with a lightly buttered knife, cut into 2"x1" bars.
• Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.

Steps:

• Mix eggs with sugar. Add flour, walnuts and baking soda and mix. Grease pans and bake 15-20 minutes. Filling: bring first 3 ingredients to a boil, cool and mix in butter