Almond and apricot slice-and-bake cookies

Learning new things is something that I deeply love, no matter how simple they are, and I’ve told you already that having this blog has taught me a lot all these years: I’ve learned how to make great brownies, American pancakes, chocolate chip cookies… And that is just the food part.

There’s something else I’ve learned by having the blog: slice and bake cookies – having a cylinder of dough in the freezer that can be transformed in cookies whenever I want was a revelation to me, I couldn’t believe how easy that was. Since then I’ve been making these cookies quite regularly for they are both delicious and a great time saver (like the chocolate sablés I posted the other day).

These almond and apricot cookies are tasty and have a wonderful texture, it’s like they melt in the mouth – feel free to replace the apricots with other types of dried fruit to create your own flavor.

Almond and apricot slice-and-bake cookies
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (93g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
260g all-purpose flour
60g almond meal
pinch of salt
½ cup (60g) chopped dried apricots

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the flour, almond meal and salt just until combined. Stir in the apricots. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment. Chill in the fridge until very firm, 2-3 hours (the dough logs can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper - I like Beyond Gourmet a lot.
Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Cut log into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets.

Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature or in the freezer for a month.

Makes about 50 cookies