Apricot Pistachio Squares Food

APRICOT PISTACHIO SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C and line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the chunks of butter and process until it forms large clumps - may a minute or so. Press the dough firmly and evenly into your baking tin with floured fingers. Bake for 15 minutes or until very pale golden.
• In your food processor (don't bother washing it out), grind the pistachios, flour, salt, and sugar to a powder (or as fine as you can make it!). Add the butter and process until no longer visible. Add egg and vanilla, blending until it forms a smooth paste.
• Spread the filling over the cooked base. To decorate like I have in the photos, cut the apricots into diagonal strips, then slide each half onto a knife and fan over the pistachio frangipane. Alternatively, you could put the halves straight on or cut the apricots into slices and decorate as you wish.
• Bake the slice for 50 minutes, or until they are golden and a skewer inserted into the pistachio comes out clean. Leave in pan to cool.
• Dust with icing sugar to decorate and cut into squares. I couldn't wait for them to cool and cut them while still warm - and they were amazing - but Deb recommends to rest them in the fridge to cool completely before cutting.
• Keep left over slice in the fridge.

APRICOT AND PISTACHIO SLICE (BARS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Combine flour the flour, mixed spice,diced apricots, pistachio kernals and the sugar in a large bowl. Add the margarine, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla essence and stir until well combined.
• Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined lamington tin and bake for 30 minutes at 180ºC or until golden brown.
• Whilst still warm, glaze the slice with melted apricot jam.

PISTACHIO SQUARES

Steps:

• Mix first layer and press into 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Combine ingredients for second layer and spread on first layer.
• Mix pudding and milk; spread over second layer.
• Spread remaining Cool Whip over third layer.
• Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
• Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

APRICOT-PISTACHIO PINWHEELS

Steps:

• PISTACHIO SUGAR.
• Pulse pistachios and sugar in food processor until finely ground, and set aside.
• APRICOT FILLING.
• Combine all filling ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil reduing the heat to medium-low and simmer for 18-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
• When apricots are tender, transfer to food processor and puree then set aside.
• MAKING THE COOKIES.
• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Line 2 bakiing sheets with your fav lining; silocone, foil, etc.
• Roll one sheet of pastry dough into 15 1/2 X 12 1/2 inches rectangle and trimming it with pizza cutter or fluted pastry wheel to 15 X 12 inches.
• Cut pastry crosswise into 4 - 3 inch strips and cut each strip into 5 - 3 inch squares. (you will have 20 3" squares from each sheet).
• TO FORM PINWHEELS.
• On each square make a 1 1/2" diagonal slit from each corner toward the center but not through it.
• Transfer squares to baking sheet.
• Place a level 1/2 tsp of filling in center of each square.
• Fold every other point of pastry square up and over center filling, overlapping in middle of filling.
• Gently press points into filling to secure.
• Lightly brush with egg white, placing a whole pistachio in the center of each.
• Sprinkle each pinwheel with 1/2 tsp pistachio sugar and a light sprinkling of the coarse decorating sugar in your choice of color.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and puffed.
• Transfer to wirerack to cool.
• Repeat until all pinwheeels are done.
• NOTE:.
• These are best eaten the same day as making but can be stored between waxed paper in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 days.
• NOTE:.
• I found a brand of pistachios called "everybody's NUTS" that are roasted and unsalted. There is a bonus to their pistachios in that if you find one unopened nut and send it to them (with verification, of course) they send you another bag of pistachios!
• SUGGESTION.
• Any pistachio sugar and filling left over can be combined and used as a spread for toast, etc.

MOM'S PISTACHIO SQUARES

Steps:

• For 1st Layer: Cream butter,sugar& flour,add nuts.
• Press in a greased 9x13 pan.
• Bake 10 mins.
• at 325.
• For 2nd Layer: Mix cream cheese and sugar at high speed and blend in Cool Whip.
• Spread over COOLED first layer.
• For 3rd Layer: Mix pudding and milk and place in the fridge for 3 minutes and pour over second layer.
• Spread top of dessert with additional Cool Whip (500ml.) and sprinkle with chopped nuts.