This recipe is adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Dorie’s Cookies.” She developed these as a more savory than sweet cocktail shortbread cookie, but took to serving them with both afternoon tea and alongside custard and ice creams for dessert. She suggests you find the softest, most plump apricots you can for this recipe.
Makes 60 cookies
1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon leaves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sprinkling sugar, optional, to decorate
In a small bowl, cover the apricots with hot water and let stand for 10 minutes, until they are plump. Transfer the apricots to paper towels to drain.
In another small bowl, rub the tarragon leaves into the sugar until they are moist and aromatic. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the tarragon sugar at low speed until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk until just combined, about 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and beat until smooth. Add the salt and flour and beat until just incorporated. Using a large spatula, fold in the apricots.
Turn the cookie dough out onto a work surface and knead until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a disk. Roll out each disk between 2 sheets of wax paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Slide the wax paper–covered, rolled-out disks onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, until very firm. (Note: The rolled-out frozen cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for 2 weeks.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk of cookie dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Using a 11/2-inch round cookie cutter or a favorite decorative cookie cutter, stamp out the cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with decorative sugar, if you like.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until they are lightly golden; shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
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