Coconut-Almond Macaroons with Apricot Topping

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Coconut-Almond Macaroons with Apricot, click HERE.

It seems fair to say that the macaroons with which most people are familiar are the pasty, bland kind that are mass-produced and sold in cans. And that’s a great shame, because really outstanding macaroons – soft, sweet and flavorful – are one of the easiest treats you can make in your kitchen.

Not to be confused with macarons, their meringue-based French cousins, macaroons are coconut, beaten egg whites, sugar and (usually) chopped almonds combined with a few other simple ingredients to make a delicious can’t-eat-just-one delight. And this week’s recipe goes even further and adds the unusual (and highly yummy!) topping of apricot preserves. (It’s also worth noting that one simple ingredient swap turns these macaroons from a year-round treat to a perfect Passover cookie better – and less expensive - than any you can buy.)

Here are the ingredients you’ll need: 3 Tbsp flour (for Passover use Passover Cake Meal); ½ tsp salt, divided; ¾ cup sugar; zest of one orange; 3 egg whites; ¾ cup chopped or crushed almonds; 2-1/2 cups shredded coconut; and ½ cup apricot preserves.

This recipe makes about twenty-one 2” macaroons.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the flour (or cake meal), ¼ tsp salt, sugar, and 1 Tbsp orange zest.

In another bowl, combine the egg whites with the remaining ¼ tsp salt. Beat until firm peaks form.

Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, to the beaten egg whites, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

When all of the flour mixture has been incorporated into the beaten egg whites, fold in the coconut and almonds.

Drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking pad.

Using a wet finger, form a well in each piece.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned, turning the baking sheet half-way for even baking. When turning the baking sheet, sprinkle the remaining zest on the partially baked macaroons.

Let the macaroons cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

When the macaroons have cooled completely, fill each well with apricot preserves. (The macaroons will save well in an air tight container for a week.)

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Coconut-Almond Macaroons with Apricot, click HERE. 

The best part is that after your this batch gets eaten up - and they will - it's easy to make more!

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to come again next week for another great recipe! Till they, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Hamantaschen Pastry with Apricot Filling

To download a copy of the recipe for Hamantaschen Pastry with Apricot Filling, click HERE. 

Although hamantaschen (HAH-mehn-tah-shen) is a pastry originating in the Hebrew celebration of Purim, there is no question it also stands on its own as a valid baked treat people of all cultures, and from all over the world, can enjoy year-round. To paraphrase a popular saying, all people eat pastry in the same language.

It is important to note that, while you can go to many food markets and bakeries this time of year and find something they’re calling hamantaschen, don’t be fooled. In most cases, what you’re seeing is a counterfeit, and a poorly made one at that, consisting of a triangular shortbread or butter cookie filled with cheap jelly. Authentic hamantaschen is made from a lighter, tastier pastry, generally with citrus or almond overtones, with a sweet filling. Prune or sweet poppy seed fillings are the most traditional, although apricot, as used in the recipe below, has come to be widely used as well.

  

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• If you’re not inclined to make the filling from scratch, a jar of good quality jam will work well. Go with any flavor you like; there’s no need to be a slave to tradition here. These are your pastries.

• As with any pastry dough, the colder it is, the easier it handles. Keep the dough cold while you’re working with it; cut, fill and form the pastries as quickly as you can, even putting the dough or cutouts into the freezer briefly if necessary. You’ll be glad you did.

• While we’re on the subject of working with the dough, here are a couple of tips to help when folding up the sides to form the pastries. To lift the sides to make the triangle, I find slipping a knife underneath and using it to fold up the side is a lot easier than using my fingers. (This also helps keep your hands from warming the cold dough prematurely.) Also, when pressing the corners together to seal them, I find it helpful to let one of the sides extend a little past the other, allowing you to roll it over slightly before pressing them together and sealing with wet fingers.

• To make the filling in this recipe, we’re using water to rehydrate dried apricots. For an extra special touch, rehydrate the apricots with orange juice instead.

• Finally, for those interested in hamantaschen’s historical back-story, here’s the short version. (Biblically-inclined readers will find the full version in the book of Esther.) Haman (as in “Hey, man!”), an advisor to King Ahasuerus of Persia, created a plot to exterminate all the Hebrews in the kingdom. When it turned out one of those Hebrews was Queen Esther, the King’s favorite wife, the plot was foiled and everyone - except Haman after the King got hold of him - lived happily ever after. And what might otherwise have been a solemn observance somehow became a traditionally carnival-like celebration, part of which involves mocking Haman by eating pastries that are not only named after him, but also are shaped to resemble his trademark three-corner hat. (In addition to being a racist tyrant, it turns out Haman was also a fashion icon. Go figure.)

This recipe makes about twenty-eight 3-1/2” hamantaschen.

First, we’ll make the pastry dough:

Sift 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt together into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat 1 cup of sugar and 3 egg-substitute eggs until creamy.

Add the egg-substitute eggs, the zest and juice of ½ lemon, and 1-1/2 tsp vanilla to the butter mixture. Whisk to combine.

 

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.

Mix until a dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or two until smooth. (Be careful not to overwork the dough.)

Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for about half an hour while you make the filling.

While the dough is chilling, let’s make the apricot filling.

Put 1-1/4 cups (tightly packed) of dried apricots, ¼ cup sugar, and the juice and zest of ½ lemon in a medium sauce pan, and add just enough water to cover the apricots. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes to soften.

After the apricots have softened, drain out the water and mash the apricots well.

Add the ½ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, ¼ cup of raisins, and 1 Tbsp of honey to the mashed apricots and mix well to form the filling. Set aside till needed.

When you’re ready to form and bake the hamantaschen:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the dough into quarters. Working one quarter at a time (and placing the re-wrapped remaining dough back in the freezer so that it stays firm and easy to use), place the dough on a well floured surface, and roll it out to 1/8” thick.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-1/2” circles. Gather up the unused scraps; after all four quarters of your dough have been rolled, cut and formed into pastries, you can combine the scraps and get a second rolling out. (Don’t do a third rolling after that, however. The gluten in the flour will be too developed by that point and your dough will have started to become tough.)

As you cut each cirlce, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking pad. Repeat for the remaining portions of the dough. (You’ll probably have to form and bake the pastries in batches.)

Combine one egg-substitute egg with one Tbsp water to form an egg wash.

Place a generous teaspoon of filling in the center of the circle.

Fold two of the sides up to form two sides of a triangle. Using moistened fingers, press the edges together to seal. (Refer to the Cook’s Notes above for tips on doing this.)

Fold the third side up to complete the triangle and, using moistened fingers, press the edges together to seal. Brush each formed pastry with an egg wash.

Sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw or similar).

Bake until golden, about 16 minutes, turning the baking sheet half-way for even baking.Let rest on the baking pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

To download a copy of the recipe for Hamantaschen Pastry with Apricot Filling, click HERE. 

In the early 1960’s, a famous series of bread advertisements advised, “You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s Real Jewish Rye.” It was true. And so it is with the fresh baked deliciousness of apricot-filled hamantaschen pastry. Enjoy, my friends. No matter where you are in the world, or what faith, if any, you call yours, enjoy.

Be sure to visit again next week for another great-tasting, home-cook friendly, and entirely non-sectarian recipe. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Peach Pie Cookies

To download a copy of the recipe for Peach Pie Cookies, click HERE.

Real food is all well and good, but every so often a person has to have cookies. With that in mind, this week’s recipe for Peach Pie Cookies makes a soft, peach flavored cookie, seasoned similar to peach pie, bakes them into a miniature pie shape, and tops it with peach-flavored icing made to look like a lattice top. (These cookies are not only delicious; they’re fun to make and to eat!)

This recipe makes about 30 cookies. (The number you get will vary with exactly how you spoon out the cookie dough.)

We'll start by making the peach puree.

In a saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon, 2 Tbsp water, and a 28 ounce can of sliced peaches (well drained but not rinsed) over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.

Simmer until the peaches have broken down to a sauce consistency, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Mash the peach flesh with a spoon or masher if necessary.) This should make about 1 cup of peach puree.

Place the puree in a separate container and let cool a little in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Next, we'll make the cookie dough.

In a medium size bowl, mix ¼ cup of granulated sugar, ¼ cup of light brown sugar, and 6 Tbsp of softened butter substitute together until combined and creamy.

Stir in ½ tsp of vanilla and ¾ cup of the peach puree, reserving the remaining puree.

Sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt, ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg into the mixture, and stir to combine.

To bake the cookies:

Drop a heaping teaspoon of the mixture into each cup of a medium-size (12 cup/pan) muffin pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (You can also drop them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking sheet, but it’s the muffin tin that gives the cookie its pie-like shape.)

Bake the cookies until golden and the edges are browned, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool completely before applying the glaze as described below.

To glaze the cookies:

While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze by combining 1 Tbsp of the reserved peach puree and 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar until thick (but spreadable) and smooth. It’s ok to use a little more of the puree if necessary, but make sure the glaze remains thick; if the glaze is too thin, it will tend to soak into the cookies.

After the cookies have cooled completely, apply the glaze and wait 30 minutes for the glaze to get firm. (As an added touch, you can apply the glaze in a lattice-top pattern!)

To download a copy of the recipe for Peach Pie Cookies, click HERE.

I hope you’ll make and enjoy these delicious, and slightly unusual, cookies. And that you’ll visit again next week for another recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)