Rustic Apricot Almond Jam Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole almonds *
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons almond paste (crumbled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter (at room temperature)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1/2 teaspoon amaretto (optional)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (toasted and chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 (175C) degrees and place rack in center of oven.

2. 2

   Toast the whole almonds on a baking sheet until they smell toasty and start to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Cool, then pulse in a food processor until they form fine crumbs.

3. 3

   Whisk together the almond meal, baking powder, salt and flour in a bowl until blended.

4. 4

   Pulse almond paste, sugar and butter in food processor until smooth. Add the eggs and pulse again to blend. Add the flour mixture and pulse a few times, just until the dough comes together. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a disc. Wrap dough in plastic and chill 1 hour.

5. 5

   On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 4 pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece into logs about 8 inches long.

6. 6

   Arrange the logs on one or two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes.

7. 7

   Lay the handle of a wooden spoon lengthwise along each log, pressing down to form a trench. If using amaretto, stir into the jam. Spoon jam evenly into trench. Return cookies to the oven and bake an additional 20 - 25 minutes, until the edges turn lightly golden and the cookies are feel firm to the touch. Sprinkle the tops with the sliced almonds, and transfer to a rack to cool.

8. 8

   With a large sharp knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into slices.

9. 9

   Makes 36-40 cookies