Nov. 02--"Holiday Cookies," a collection of more than 100 recipes of winning cookies from 25 years of the Tribune's annual Holiday Cookie Contest, is back in print. The book, published in 2014 by the Tribune with Surrey Books, an imprint of Agate Publishing, sold out before the holiday season had ended. Now in its second printing, the book is available for $17 at www.chicagotribune.com/holidaycookiesbook.
To mark the book's second printing, we will publish a recipe from it in online and in Food Dining each week leading up to the Dec. 2 announcement of this year's contest winners. First up, glazed apricot-almond cookies, which earned Nancy Vaziri of Frankfort second place in 2011.
foods@tribune.com
Glazed apricot-almond cookies
Prep: 40 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Bake: 12 minutes
Makes: 24 cookies
For the amaretto you can substitute 1/8 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk.
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons amaretto
1/4 cup each: chopped apricots, sliced almonds
1. Beat the butter, sugar, almond extract and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until combined. Add the flour; mix on low speed until combined. Stir in the apricots and almonds by hand. Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours. (Dough can be frozen at this point and baked later).
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough crosswise into 1/2-inch slices; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets spaced evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 12 minutes.
3. To make the glaze, put the confectioners' sugar in a bowl; gradually stir in the amaretto until icing is of drizzling consistency. Spread about 1 tablespoon glaze on top of each cookie with an offset spatula to cover surface. Immediately sprinkle center of cookie with a few pieces of chopped apricots and almonds. Allow icing to set before serving, at least 1 hour.
Nutrition information per cookie: 148 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 19 mg cholesterol, 24 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 33 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
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