Burlington, Vermont – December 14, 2011
Still looking for a gift for friends? Well, you might want to think about an edible gift like food.
We turned to Nina Lesser-Goldsmith, the learning center director at Healthy Living, for this tasty recipe that can be easily packaged up as a present.
For more, watch the video from The :30.
Gifts for foodies - A Jar of Ice Cream Pastry Cookies with Apricot and Walnuts
Ice Cream Pastry Cookies with Apricot and Walnuts
(From Carol Walters' "Great Cookies")
For the pastry:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup softened vanilla ice cream
Instructions:
Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter forms small mealy crumbs. Transfer the mixture to a large work bowl and make a well in the center. Add the ice cream in the center of the well. Use a large wooden spoon to slowly mix the crumb mixture into the ice cream. When the mixture gets too hard to work with a spoon, flour your hands and gently knead the dough until it forms one solid ball. Shape the dough into a mound and cut it into 4 even pieces. Shape each quarter into a flat rectangle (about 3 inches wide). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight and up to 3 days.
For the filling:
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3/4 cup apricot preserves
- 6 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp half and half
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or silpat. On a lightly floured work surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into a 10x9" rectangle. Blend the apricot and lemon zest and spread 1/4 of it evenly over the rolled dough leaving a 1" border on one side of the long edge. Combine the sugars, cinnamon and nuts. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mixture over the apricot. Moisten the clean edge of the dough with water. Starting at the opposite edge roll the dough up like a jelly roll and pinch the seam. Gently roll the log back and forth to seal it. Brush the top of the log with half and half and sprinkle it lightly with a bit of the sugar-nut mixture. Slash the log with a knife at 1" intervals. Place the log onto the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the other 3 pieces of dough. Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. When they come out of the oven let them cool on the pan for 20-30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the cookies at each interval slash. Keep in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. They also freeze well.
