Our Family Recipes

Ice box cookies are a good thing, as Martha would say. See this recipe for London Fog Shortbread Cookies.

If you are looking for a great cookie to use in a cookie exchange, this is it. Mind you…I liked them so much I’d have a hard time parting with them.

The only changes I made were to double the Earl Grey Tea, use white sugar that had been flavoured with vanilla beans (I didn’t have any fresh bean on hand), and I didn’t bother rolling them in decorative sugar…honestly, they really didn’t need it.

So easy, so good…will make again.

Makes about two dozen.

My Mummu used to make joulutorttu when we went to visit in the winter time. The combination of a sweet buttery pastry and a tart prune filling are etched in my memory as one of my favourite things. It also happens to be a Finnish holiday tradition. My Auntie Leila gave me her recipe.

Dough

1 lb. butter
5 C of flour (give or take 1/2 cup depending on consistency of dough)
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 egg mixed with enough cold water to make 1 cup OR
some like to use 1 cup of whipping cream instead (my Auntie Leila likes the egg and water better and with a pound of butter in there already, you probably don’t need the cream!)

Filling

2 cups pitted prunes (traditional) or apricots, chopped into small pieces and
stewed with 1/2 to 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar or to taste (more for apricots)
until consistency of filling for date squares, thick enough that it will stay in middle of square.
Let cool (can be made day before).

Method

1. 1. 1. Make the filling and let cool.
      2. To make the dough, mix all dry ingredients and cut in butter with a pastry cutter until crumbly (like small peas).
      3. Add egg and water mix all at once and hand mix to make dough. If it seems too soft and sticky,
         add flour little bit at a time until it rolls like pie dough. It reminds me of pâte brisée dough.
      4. Divide the dough into two balls, shape into flat discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
      5. Make approx. 3 inch by 3 inch square pattern out of heavy paper or cardboard (or buy a 3×3 square cutter, which is what I did).
      6. On a lightly floured surface, roll a large piece of dough approx. 1/8 inch thick (1/4 inch is too thick).
      7. Cut squares of dough according to pattern and then cut each corner on the diagonal leaving space in the centre for filling.
      8. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in centre of square and fold one flap of each corner to centre, alternating as you go
         to form a “star”.How the hell do I do that? You ask. Watch this video for a quick tutorial (except we put our filling “in” the cookie, not “on” the cookie).

   Place the tarts on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Egg wash lightly and bake in 375 to 400 degree oven (depending on your oven) until slightly golden (approx. 12 min). They burn easily so watch your first batch to get the timing right.

   Notes: Makes approx 5 dozen cookies. I had a few break open on me, so I had to eat them. Yes, I know, poor me.

2. They are a tart-like cookie with this recipe but I think if you used either whipping cream, ricotta or cream cheese in the dough (I’ve seen recipes using these ), you would end up with more of a cookie than a tart.