Cappuccino Panna Cotta and Florentines

This months Bakers Challenge was hosted by  Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She requested two recipes actually, one for the cool and creamy Panna cotta, the other, a sweet,crunchy florentine cookie. I served this for dessert a few weeks ago and it was a great light ending for the linguine and clam sauce dinner.

Panna Cotta is an Italian eggless custard dessert. The literal translation is “cooked cream”. Except the cream isn’t really cooked. It’s really just warmed to dissolve the sugar and gelatin.  It is very similar to Blancmange, with the major difference being that one is thickened with gelatin and the latter with corn starch. I haven’t made Panna cotta since last New  Years Eve so I very was glad to be able to revisit this dessert. It is quite simple to make, the variations are endless, and it has  great “mouth feel”.  I think I will be making this quite often from now on. For this challenge I made a cappuccino style Panna cotta. It was constructed of three layers; a coffee jelly, a cinnamon Panna cotta, and a vanilla bean sour cream Panna cotta. Panna Cotta is typically unmolded but I chose not to do it  for this version. If you want to unmold your Panna cotta just dip the bottom of your mold into warm water for a minute run a sharp knife around the edge, then flip it over into your serving dish. It sounds scarier than it is, trust me.

The cookie chosen is a florentine. I make these at Christmas time and never posted the recipe so I am happy to finally get around to that. I made two different kinds, the traditional version with candied orange peel and almonds (my favorite!) and also a dried cherry hazelnut, also a winner. I think dried fruit and nuts taste great together so I imagine any combination would be terrific. I was thinking maybe dried blueberry and brazil nut with a drizzle of white chocolate. Maybe next time…

Bake on!

CAPPUCCINO  PANNA COTTA
This requires time for each layer to set up so either make the day before start it in the morning. The actual work time for each layer is less than 10 minutes.
Coffee jelly layer

3 scant tsp gelatin powder (I used Knox)
2 Tablespoons warm water
2 cups strong brewed coffee (you could also use espresso)
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Place the gelatin and warm water in a small dish; stir to combine. Set is aside to soften while you prepare the rest. Place the coffee and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it up to boil, turn off the heat and take if off the element. Stir in the softened gelatin and stir until all of the gelatin is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes then divide it up 6 serving dishes. I used small glasses but use whatever you have on hand. Place  these onto a baking tray and transfer into the fridge. Let set up at least one hour before the next layer.

Cinnamon Panna Cotta Layer

1 3/4 tsp gelatin
3 Tablespoons warm water
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (33-36%)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch ground cinnamon
3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

Heat the cream, cinnamon sticks, pinch ground cinnamon and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar (do not let it boil). Turn off the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes.
Place the gelatin and warm water into a small dish; stir to combine. Let it soften for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, gently heat the cream back up.  Off the heat, stir in the gelatin until it is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks . Pour into Pyrex measuring cup or other lipped dish for easier pouring. Take the coffee jelly our of the fridge and equally pour the Panna cotta over the coffee jellies (it’s about 1/4 c (2 oz) per dish). Place the dishes back into the fridge to set up

 

Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Panna Cotta Layer

1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 cream (10%)
1 vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
1/3 cup sour cream (14%)
1 1/2  tsp gelatin
3 tablespoons warm water

Place the water and gelatin in a small dish to soften; set aside. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and place into a medium saucepan along with the pod. Add the cream and sugar and  heat  over medium- low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat; remove the vanilla pod (rinse it off and toss into your sugar bowl). Add the sour cream and whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Sir in the softened gelatin and stir for a few minutes to make sure that the gelatin is completely dissolved and incorporated.
Take the jellies out of the fridge and gently pour the vanilla sour cream Panna cotta over the cinnamon layer, dividing equally amongst the serving dishes. Place back into the fridge and let set up for 2 hours before serving.

FLORENTINES
Makes 36 cookies

Preheat your oven to 350F

1/2 cup heavy cream (33-36%)                                                    
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup diced candied orange peel

Bittersweet chocolate to drizzle (optional)

Place the nuts and fruit in a mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, add the  cream and sugar and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Take it off the heat and pour over the nuts and fruit. Add the flour and stir.
Drop by teaspoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten the cookies slightly using a wet spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.  Melt some chocolate and place in a disposable pastry bag or a small ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Drizzle of the cookies. Place in the fridge for a few minutes to set the chocolate.These cookies will last about 5 days (if you don’t eat them all) but they do not freeze well.

This cookie recipe is from the Gourmet Magazine Cookie Book

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Macadamia Nut and Coconut Bars

 

Extravagant. That is the word to describe these. Lots of Macadamia nuts, coconut, butter and brown sugar. Divine could certainly also be used to describe these. Be warned, you will not be able to stop at one….

 This will make 32 bars

Bottom Layer

1/2 C (4 oz) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour

Beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until mixed. Beat in the egg and salt, and then, on low-speed, add the flour and beat only until incorporated.

Line a 9 x 13 inch pan as described earlier in Creole Pecan Bars. Then take the 1 tablespoon of butter and put it in the pan. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts. Then, spread the butter all over the bottom and sides of the pan with a crumpled piece of plastic wrap and put the pan in the freezer or fridge until you are ready to put in the base.

Scatter the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan and spread it our with your fingertips (It will be necessary to reflour your fingertips often).Form an even layer.

Bake for 15 minutes, until set. Remove the pan from the oven but do not turn it off.

Top Layer

1 1/2 C (7 oz) salted macadamia nuts
2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C packed light brown sugar
2 C (6 ounces) packed sweetened shredded coconut

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Beat in the sifted ingredients. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the coconut (reserve the remaining coconut) and the nuts.

Use a spoon and place the mixture evenly on top of the bottom layer (It’s okay if it is still warm from baking). With the back of the spoon, spread it into a smooth even layer (it will be thin). Sprinkle on the balance of the coconut.

Bake for 25 minutes, until it is a nice golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then flip it over, using another cookie sheet, peel off the foil, then flip it back over.

Place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours or in the freezer for an hour before cutting into slices for a clean cut.

Source: Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Cookies

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Christmas Trees, Anyone?

Whew… so I have made 22 different kinds of cookies this year…. I think I’m done. It will probably take me over a month to post them all but I will try! I made these last night and I think they are so darn cute that I could just eat them up. Oh, wait, that’s what you are supposed to do… I’m off to share these with one of my oldest friends at a Christmas Eve party that he and his wife throw every year for a night of good food, good company and good cheer.

CRANBERRY AND PISTACHIO ROCHERS

Makes approx 32 cookies

1/2 C shelled pistachios, chopped
1/4 C dried cranberries, chopped
1 Tablespoon confectioners sugar
3 large egg whites
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the pistachios, cranberries and confectioners sugar together in a small bowl and set aside
Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the sugar dissolves and it is warm to the touch, no more than 2 minutes. Take it off of the heat and using your mixer, whisk at medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar (it helps stabilize the egg whites) and whisk at high speed until stiff, shiny peaks form. This takes about 5 minutes.
Fold in the pistachio mixture.
Spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2 inch tip (or a Ziploc bag with the corner tip cut off) and pipe onto the prepared sheets. You want them bigger and wider at the bottom and release the pressure as you come up to form little trees.
Sprinkle with colored sugar.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200.
Place the cookies onto the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes or until the meringues can be lifted off the paper. These will last about 3 days.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

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Lemon Almond Biscotti

Since I am still baking like a mad woman days before Christmas, I must make this short. If you could describe biscotti as “light and refreshing”, these would be it. They are simple yet delicious. We made these over the weekend while out at the Hamptons with my dear friend John. So, these are for Mrs. OFlaherty.  Happy Holidays…

1 1/2 C sliced almonds, toasted
2 C sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Grated zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Please make sure to toast your almonds in a 350 F oven for about 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan a few times, until the almonds are a lightly colored and smell like almonds. Set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line one large cookie sheet or 2 smaller sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar and toasted almonds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, zest, lemon juice and almond extract; add to the dry mix. Stir (and stir and stir) with a large wooden spoon or spatula, until the dry ingredients are completely mixed with the wet ingredients.
Turn the dough out onto a clean counter and cut into 3 equal pieces (or 2 for larger biscotti). With wet hands (or floured- not both) shape the pieces into long narrow sausages, about 10 inches long.
Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250 F
Slide the hot loaves onto a cutting board and holding one end with a pot holder or folded towel, carefully cut thin slices with a serrated knife at an angle to about 1/2 inch wide.
Place the slices, cut side down, back on the cookie sheets. If you only used one sheet before you will now need two or re-bake them in batches.
Bake them for 35-40 minutes, turning the slices upside down and reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking. Do not underbake.
Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Brand New  Book Of Great Cookies

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Creole Pecan Praline Bars

I make this recipe every year and it is always a hit. They look so pretty with all of the pecans lined up in a row and the sweet buttery taste is really divine. It has a shortbread base, covered with pecans and a praline like topping. Yum….This comes from one of my favorite cookie books, Maida Heatter’s Brand New Book Of Great Cookies, and I will try to post up as many recipes as I can this season. I have already made a handful of them already, I just find it so hard to find the time to sit down at the computer and type them out. ‘Tis the season you know (you know, where there never seems to be enough time). So let the baking begin my friends….

First off, prepare a 9 x 13 by 2 inch baking pan. Maida uses this method for almost all of her bar cookie recipes and I use it for all of mine, especially brownies. It makes getting the finished cookies out of  the pan super easy and there is virtually no clean-up afterwards. Take your pan and flip it upside down. Cut a piece of tin foil large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Center the foil (shiny side down) over the upside down pan and press it down on the sides and corners to shape the foil to fit in the pan. Remove the foil and set aside. Put some water into the pan to wet the bottom; pour out the excess. Then place the foil (shiny side up) into the pan and press in into the bottom and sides.

CREOLE PECAN PRALINE BARS  

Base:
1/2 C (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 C packed light brown sugar
2 C sifted all-purpose flour
9 ounces (2 1/2 C) large pecan halves

Topping:
3/4 C (6 oz) unsalted butter
1/3 C packed light brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Make the Base:
Beat together the butter, salt and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add the flour and beat for 2 more minutes, until the ingredients form tiny crumbs that will hold together when you press them between your fingers. Turn it out into your prepared pan (see above). Spread the mixture into an even layer, using your fingers/hands to press down on the mixture to form a compact layer.
Place the pecan halves on top with each one touching each other- flat sides down- all in the same direction so it looks all nice and pretty. Set this aside while you make the topping.
Make the topping:
In a medium saucepan, place the butter and sugar. Stir over high heat until it comes to a boil. Keep stirring at a boil for 30 more seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the hot mixture over the pecan base, trying to coat the entire surface.
Bake for 22 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. refrigerate for at least one hour. Cover with a larger cookie sheet, flip over to release, peel off the foil then flip it back over onto a cutting board.
Using a large, sharp knife, cut the cake into quarters. Then cut each piece in half, then cut each piece into 4 strips- or into tinier pieces if you wish.
Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.These keep very well in the freezer but must come back to room temperature before serving.

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Caramel Cashew Thumbprints

 

Today’s recipe is for a beautiful thumbprint cookie. I normally do not care for thumbprint  type of cookies, I don’t really know why, but I really wanted to try these when I saw this is the Cuisine Holiday Baking Guide. I mean, they have cashews and caramel in them – how could they not taste good? This is another dough that has to chill in the fridge before shaping and baking (I have 2 other kind of cookie dough  in the fridge now) which make them perfect to make around your schedule. The dough is quite soft, even after chilling. They take a bit of work to put together but still very easy make and the end result is quite lovely to look at. A really nice holiday cookie to make and to eat. Bake away…

CARAMEL CASHEW THUMBPRINTS

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 C all-purpose flour
1 egg white
1 tsp water
1 1/2 C finely chopped, salted, roasted cashews

Filling:
16 individually wrapped caramels (Kraft)
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
note: I didn’t have individually wrapped caramels, only a bag of mini caramel bits. I used 1/3 cup and it worked out fine)

Drizzle
3 oz white chocolate
1 teaspoon shortening

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and beat until well combined. Add the flour and beat on low-speed until everything is combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or more.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a baker’s best friend)
Heat the caramels with the cream over low heat and stir until melted and creamy. Remove from the heat.
In a small bowl whisk the egg white and 1 tsp water together with a fork. Place the cashew bits in a separate bowl.
Break off walnut size bits of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Dip each one in the egg whites and them roll them in the cashew nuts to coat them all over.
Place them on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Using the back of your 1 tsp measuring spoon, make an indentation into the middle of each cookie.
Bake for about 11-13 minutes or until set.
Take them out of the oven and immediately go over the indentation again with the back of your spoon. Using a small spoon, carefully the warm caramel into the indentations (about 1/2 tsp worth). Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Optional:
Heat the chocolate and shortening together and mix well. Drizzle the chocolate onto to cookies using a fork or a whisk. Place them in the fridge for a few minutes to set the chocolate.

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Navettes Sucrees (Sugar Shuttles)

Okay, well this cookie is now going in my favorite recipe category. Last month I picked up the new Gourmet Cookie Book at the library and thought that so many recipes looked great that I would try to tackle at least 20 recipes by Christmas. That being said, I am very behind….

The concept of the book is that they list every “cookie of the year”  from the magazine from 1940 on.  Not every cookie looks enticing to me but I do have a large number that I want to try. I did bake the cinnamon crisps last week, which I did not post, since I am not crazy about them, but I think that is my problem since I am not a big fan of crisp cookies. I like my cookies soft and chewy, and those were definitely not. I still might post the recipe for someone else to try but we will see how time goes.

Anyway, this recipe is divine!!!!  It is a smallish bullet shaped cookie that is dipped in egg white and rolled in sugar before baking which produces the loveliest crackly coating on it. The inside in a tender, dreamy cookie. The best part of this recipe? It was SO easy!!! The dough is just a few ingredients kneaded together. When I first saw the recipe and read that you knead the cookie dough I automatically  threw everything in my kitchenaid mixer thinking with the thought that they didn’t even have standing mixers back then, but… I found out that it actually didn’t come together using my mixer. It seemed so dry I was tempted to add a bit of water. I am so glad that I decided to dump it out and knead it. Not even a minute later and it was a beautiful dough. You do need to refrigerate the dough before baking – perfect time to run to the stores for a little Christmas shopping or run some errands! The only change that I made was to add a vanilla bean to the dough and I rolled the cookies in vanilla sugar, just to give them a nice extra vanilla flavor. I bought a large amount of beans a few months ago (about 85) and I love using them in everything, though a drop of almond or anise extract would be terrific as well.

These are so interesting to look at and have a fantastic mouth feel. They are sure to be a big hit. Don’t wait, bake some today!

NAVETTES SUCREES

1 C sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C unsalted butter, softened
2 egg yolks (reserve 1 white for later in the recipe, save the other for another use)
1 tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean (optional)

Vanilla sugar for rolling the cookies in

Sift the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the soft butter, egg yolks, vanilla seeds and extract; knead until the dough is comes together and is well blended. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 2 or more hours.

Divide the dough into small portions (I made 23 cookies with my batch) and roll each piece into a smallish bullet shape- or a small sewing machine shuttle (hence the name). Dip each cookie into the reserved egg white and then roll it in the vanilla sugar. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

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Pumpkin Pie Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze

A delicate cookie, light as air, with a subtle taste of pumpkin pie. Perfect for the season and quite delicious. It uses pumpkin pie spice, a wonderful concoction of nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, ginger, cardamom,and clove. You take the dough and place it in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch open star tip and pipe into ”S” shapes  for a pretty effect. I used my moms good old spritz cookie press from the 1950′s with a nice plain tip.  These are actually really simple to make.  You could probably even just roll the dough into small balls and gently press them down with the bottom of a glass. This makes about 30 cookies.

PUMPKIN PIE COOKIES

1 C Unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 C pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla or seeds of 1/2  vanilla bean
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour

Brown butter glaze (see below)

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F.  I always use parchment paper to line my cookie sheet since cleanup is breeze, but you can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you don’t have any.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until combined. Beat in the pumpkin puree and the egg. Slowly add the flour until just combined. Place into a pastry bag with an open star tip, or a spritz press and pipe out “S” shapes, wreaths, or strips. It’s your cookie, do what you want.
Bake for 7 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
When cool drizzle with brown butter glaze and a light sprinkle of nutmeg, if desired. These cookies keep well stored in an airtight container for 3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

2 Tablespoons unsalted  butter
1 1/2 C powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Heat the butter over low heat in a small saucepan until the butter is golden brown and nutty smelling. Take off the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Add a drop more milk if it is not thin enough.

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Chocolate Chunk-Coconut-Peanut Butter Cookies

These are a great comfort cookie. They taste like chocolate chip macaroons. This recipe is from the great Maida  Heatter’s  Brand New Book of Great Cookies . This book is a classic with some really great recipes and is also a great read. You really feel her joy when looking through her commentaries. In this recipe  have made just the slightest of changes; I use bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet,  and I add 1 tablespoon of corn syrup. You could use bagged chocolate chips if you don’t want to chop your own chunks, but you won’t get the same chocolate experience. This one is a keeper. It yields about 30 cookies.  Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHUNK –  COCONUT – PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

6 Ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
1 C  (4 oz) salted peanuts
1/2 C  granulated sugar
1 1/4 C sifted all-purpose flour (I always use unbleached)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 C smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 Tbls light corn syrup (Maida calls for 1 Tbls sour cream)
1/2 C packed dark or light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 C (3 1/2 oz) packed shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or tin foil, shiny side up, and set aside.

Place the peanuts and granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse the machine until the nuts are chopped into medium-sized pieces (about 7  pulses). Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In the large bowl of a standing mixer beat the butter until soft. Beat in the vanilla, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Beat in the brown sugar and the egg. Add the sifted ingredients and beat on low-speed until mixed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the peanut/sugar mixture, the cut up chocolate, and the coconut.

With 2 spoons, form the dough into mounds. Wet your hands with cold water and roll each mound into a ball; place them 2 inches apart from each other on your prepared cookie sheets. Dip a fork into cold water and gently press down in one direction on each ball to flatten it slightly.

Bake one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes. When done the cookies will be lightly browned, but the tops will still feel quite soft, do not over-bake. They will become crisp when cool.

Store in an airtight container for 1 week of freeze for up to 3 months.

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Pistachio Pinwheels

Since Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks away in the States, I have already been planning out the recipes I want to try this season for when I go to New York.  The day after Thanksgiving is the official start of the Holiday season and the official date of my holiday cookie baking. To start the wheel rolling, I am making Pistachio Pinwheels.  You can use any flavor jam or preserves you like, but don’t use  jelly –  it’s too thin and will liquefy during baking. Oh, and feel free to try different nut meats as well. How about walnuts with a fig jam filling?? I just happen to love pistachios and raspberries so that it what I am going with. This recipe is courtesy of Cuisine at Home Holiday Baking

PISTACHIO PINWHEELS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C shortening
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp pistachio extract or almond extract
3/4 C finely chopped pistachio nuts

Filling:
1 1/3 C raspberry jam
4 tsp. cornstarch

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Using a hand or standing mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugars in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Add the egg and pistachio extract; beat on low-speed until fully blended. Add half of the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, beating only until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the nuts.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap, pressing dough into a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours or more.
While the dough is chilling, stir together the jam and cornstarch for the filling in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then place in the fridge for at least one hour (while your cookie dough is chilling) .

Roll one portion of the dough out between parchment paper to form a 10 x 12 inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment. When I trimmed mine it was 9 x 11. Spread 1/2 C of the cooled filling over the dough leaving a 1/2 inch border all the way around. Roll the dough tightly into a log along the long side using the parchment paper to help you keep it even and tight. Wrap the log in parchment twisting the ends of the paper. Repeat with the other portion of cookie dough. Chill logs 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Cut the well chilled dough into 1/2 slices and place on your baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake, one sheet at a time,  until lightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes

MAKE AHEAD DIRECTIONS:

Wrap logs in foil. Freeze up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before cutting and baking

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