This is a new type of Christmas Cookie. You see, every year, I experiment with one sort. Sometimes they are a success, sometimes not. And sometimes, while I love the cookies themselves, they are too much of a pain in the neck to make +/- 300 of them, so they don’t get included the next year. This year, I decided to go with a distinctly non-German type recipe — if anything, these Rosemary Apricot Pinecone, with Toasted Pinenuts, almost have a Mediterranean feel to them. They are not too sweet and definitely have a rosemary finish. Most of the sweetness does come from the apricot jam. While the verdict is out on whether they will become part of my regular rotation, they are quite lovely.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
1 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup toasted pine nuts
You will also need a pinecone shaped cookie cutter
Directions
In the work bowl of your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and salt. Add flour and beat just until combined. Add rosemary and stir until evenly distributed. Flatten into disks and chill for two hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Combine apricot jam and lemon juice if a small bowl (note: if your apricot jam is chunky, you will want to make it smooth in a food processor or blender).
Roll dough into 1/4 inch thickness and place onto cookie sheets. Brush with a little bit of the apricot-lemon mixture and place a few pine nuts. Bake cookies until golden, turning sheet once during baking, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
