COOKIES -- Apricot Buttons

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 9/18/2006

Apricot Buttons ------- 2-3 dozen

These are very special little tea cookies. You may make them larger, but I prefer them small. This absolutely wonderful cookie recipe came from my college roommate.

1. Mix well:

1/2 c marg. (Use the best grade of marg. Fleischmann's Unsalted is my choice.)
1/3 c. sugar

2. Add to above mixture and stir in.

1 egg yolk
1/4 t. vanilla

3. Sift tog., add to above. Mix together.

1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt

4. Make 24-36 LITTLE balls. No bigger than 3/4-inch in diameter. Dip or roll in:

well-beaten egg white

5. Then roll in:

3/4 c. broken pecans (No big chunks. The commercial 'fine' grade is good.)

6. Place on very lightly greased cookie sheets. Depress tops well with index or 'little' finger. This is similar to the 'thumbprints' but a thumb is too large for these.

7. Bake at 300 F. 30 min. I check them part-way through, as they may need to be depressed again lightly. Ovens vary (mine is often 30 degrees too hot!!), so don't let them get DARK.

8. When baked, while still hot, fill the depressions with Apricot Preserves. I often put the preserves in a teaspoon, then use the tip of a dinner knife to cut off and place them neatly in the depression. Don't 'over-load -- keep it dainty. Don't race through this and make them sloppy and out of the depression, or they will look sloppy and very UN-tea-like. NOT what you are striving for.

9. The preserves on these cookies never really 'dries,' but rather may remain somewhat 'sticky' if touched. Being 'bite-size' it really doesn't matter. To store, I prefer one layer, with air between the cookie tops and their cover. Also, I've never used another topping on them, as the apricots are special. Nothing else measures up for me.