Apricot Almond Shortbread Shells Food

APRICOT SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. While the crust is baking, place apricots in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Return the apricots and reserved liquid to the pan, and stir in the lemon zest. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the apricot mixture. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Spread onto the prepared crust, and sprinkle the walnuts over.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

APRICOT BARS WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• For the shortbread crust: blend flour, sugar and salt together for about 10 seconds in a processor.
• Add in cold butter using on/off turns, and process until coarse meal forms.
• Press crumbs firmly into bottom of the pan.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the center is golden, remove and keep oven heat on to same temperature.
• To make the filling: place apricots in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer until soft (about 4 minutes) drain, and set aside.
• In a small bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer beat eggs in a large bowl for about 2 minutes.
• Add in brown sugar and vanilla and beat until thick.
• Stir in flour mixture.
• Mix/mix in the apricots and nuts.
• Spread over the shortbread crust.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until puffed and dark golden brown.
• Cool in dish.
• Cut into small squares or triangles, and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well (mixture will be crumbly). Press into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Carefully spread with apricot preserves., In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread over preserves (egg white layer will be thin). Sprinkle with walnuts. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and edges are bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Refrigerate leftovers.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon until mixture is combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried apricots. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, and pat to flatten into a disk. Place in refrigerator 1 hour.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. If dough starts to get too soft, place in the freezer or refrigerator a few minutes. Cut out shapes, as desired, and place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Remove from oven, and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Cookies will keep up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan, cover apricots with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup water. Place 1/4 cup water back in the saucepan and add 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
• Chop apricots and add to saucepan, turn off the heat.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and 1 cup sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together four, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add toasted coconut and pecans.
• Place 3/4 of the mixture into prepared pan, pressing it with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake for 10 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove from oven and spread apricot mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crust over the top and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

APRICOT ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• Mix together melted butter, sugar, flour and vanilla and pour into 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
• Cool completely. Spread with apricot preserves.
• Beat egg whites and almond ext. Add powdered sugar and beat just to mix well. Pour evenly over preserves and sprinkle with blanched almonds.
• Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins or until golden. Cool completely before cutting into small squares.

APRICOT ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Make purée:
• In a small heavy saucepan simmer purée ingredients, covered, 10 minutes. In a food processor purée mixture until smooth. Purée may be make 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make brandied cream:
• In a small bowl fold brandy and sugar into whipped cream and chill, covered.
• Transfer purée and brandied cream to separate pastry bags fitted with 1/4-inch star tips. Pipe cream into shells until level with tops and pipe a 1/2-inch-high mound of purée on top.
• Sprinkle desserts with confectioners' sugar and garnish with almonds.

APRICOT ALMOND TART

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• 2. Generously butter sides and bottom of tart pan (I used one with a removable bottom). I put parchment paper on the bottom of mine cut in a circle to the size of the pan.
• 3. FOR CRUST: In bowl, combine melted butter and sugar until blended. Add remaining ingredients (only half the ground nuts), and stir to form a cookie-like dough.
• 4. Press dough into tart pan evenly covering bottom and up sides. This recipe makes quite a bit of dough. If you want a thinner crust, just use about 2/3 of the dough for the crust and use the rest to make some pretty yummy cookies.
• 5. Bake crust for 15 min until light golden brown.
• 6. Let crust cool COMPLETELY. IMPORTANT NOTE: to ensure a crisp crust your crust and filling must be the same temp when adding them together...i.e. hot crust + hot filling....cooled crust + cooled filling. If you mix hot crust and cold filling (or vice versa) you get a soggy crust.
• 7. In separate bowl, combine filling ingredients (except apricots) and whisk until smooth.
• 8. Sprinkle remaining ground nuts evenly over cooled, baked crust (this will help prevent crust from getting soggy too)
• 9. Pour filling over cooled crust.
• 10. Arrange apricot halves, cut side DOWN, on tart. I started with a circle around the outside and worked inward.
• 11. Return tart to oven. Bake the filled tart for 55-60 minutes until edges are browned, custard is set and apricots are soft.

APRICOT ALMOND SHORTBREAD SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter 36 mini-muffin cups.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a food processor pulse mixture with almonds until combined well. Add butter and almond extract and blend until a dough just forms, about 1 minute.
• On a lightly floured surface with floured hands form dough into thirty-six 1-inch balls. Press balls lightly into cups and bake in middle of oven until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool shortbreads in cups on racks 2 minutes and with a 3/4-inch melon-ball cutter carefully scoop out an indentation about 1/4 inch deep in centers. Cool shells completely. Gently loosen sides of shells with a thin knife and carefully remove from cups (shells will be very fragile). Shells may be make 3 days ahead and kept in am airtight container at room temperature.

APRICOT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line a 20cm square shallow cake tin with baking parchment. Put the apricots and conserve in a small pan with 4 tbsp water, simmer over a medium heat until thick, then mash the apricots a little with a fork and set aside to cool.
• Tip the butter, sugar and vanilla into a large bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and ground rice, using a wooden spoon and then your hands to bring the mixture together as a dough. Divide into 2 pieces.
• Use your fingers to spread 1 piece of shortbread dough over the bottom of the tin. Spread the apricots over the top, leaving a small border around the edge. Roll out the remaining dough to a 20cm square and place on top of the apricot filling. Use your finger to make an indent all around the edges of the shortbread, then prick the top all over with a fork. Bake for 25-30 mins until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Leave to cool in the tin, then sprinkle with caster sugar and cut into 16 squares.