Apricot Pastry Diamonds

Submitted by lsb on June 12, 2005 at 8:57 pm

Description
Apricot Pastry Diamonds

summary
Yield: 0 File under: Cookies Brownies Bars

Instructions
The original recipe came from a book entitled Sweet Christmas Cookin and was entitled Apricot Pastry Triangles. I've changed the instructions a bit over the years to suit my purposes. By all means, do not reserve these just for Chrismas. They are too good for that.

This is one of those involved, quite time-consuming recipes but oh so worth the raves!

1 cup butter
1/2 pound cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

1 10-ounce jar good quality Apricot Preserves

1 egg white
1/4 cup finely ground almonds
1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) sugar

To prepare pastry, allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature. Stir together the flour and salt and set aside. Cream butter and cream cheese. Add the flour mixture and mix throughly. Divide into four equal parts. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.

Working with one-fourth of the pastry at a time, roll on floured surface and cut into desired shape. (I use a diamond cookie cutter.) Put a scant 1/4th teaspoon of apricot preserves in center of each diamond. Be careful not to overfill. Dip a finger into water and run it around the edges of each diamond. Top with another diamond pastry cut-out. Press edges together with a fork dipped in granulated sugar. Prick tops with fork.

For topping, beat egg white until foamy. Mix together finely ground almonds and sugar or proces them together in a blender or food processor. Brush tops of diamonds with egg white and sprinkle with nut mixture. Bake ~16 minutes in a 350 degree oven until pastries are very lightly browned. Cool on a rack.