8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 each large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda filling:
2/3 cup apple butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 confectioners' sugar for dusting
Directions
To make the dough: In a medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer
set at high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add
the sugar and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour with the salt and baking
soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating
well after each addition. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of
plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until the dough is firm
enough to roll out, at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. To
make the filling: Combine the apple butter, lemon juice, lemon zest,
and walnuts and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the
dough into 4 portions. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out
one portion of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. (If the dough crumbles,
work in your hands until malleable.) Using a 3-inch round cookie
cutter, cut out rounds of the dough. Gather up the scraps to work
into the remaining dough. Repeat the process until all the dough has
been used. Place a rounded teaspoon of the filling in the center of
half of the rounds. Brush the edges of the rounds lightly with water.
Place the remaining rounds on top of the filled cookies. Using a
fork, press the edges sealed. Don't worry if cracks appear in the
surface. Transfer the cookies to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until
lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool
completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. Makes
about 20 large cookies. Source: "An Edible Christmas" (A Treasury of
Recipes for the Holiday) by Irena Chalmers. Reformatted by: CYGNUS,
HCPM52C
Servings: 20 servings
Apple & Nut Pockets Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Apple; Fruit
The History of Recipes
We can trace the history of meal recipes far back into the distant past, in fact as far back as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and possibly even further. In practice though, these, ancient recipes were just very simple hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a collection of tablets in Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel wonderful and blissful. As we move into Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a number of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. He describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, main course and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius informs us how the ancient Romans used a good variety of aromatic flavours, including a few you will know like basil, fennel and parsley. As we move on, there are two interesting recipe books dating from the 14th Century : one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these two books are unconnected to the indian food that appears on menues today, but rather accounts of the types of meals served to the rich and powerful of the time. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new spices and herbs from the holy land, such as basil and rosemary. These new herbs and spices created a torrent in recipe manuscripts, some of which still exist in private cookery archives. During the next few centuries, the wealthy families of Wesstern Europe tried to serve up the most exotic banquets, and consequentially cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe publications became really popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted their lives to collecting, trying out, and publishing recipes to help cooks of their time. By the advent of the 20th century, recipe publications are increasing in popularity mostly due to better eduction, more free time and being a little richer. |
We hope you enjoy this Apple & Nut Pockets recipe.
