Apricot Almond Shortbread Cookies

4.50 from 2 votes

Apricot Almond Shortbread Cookies

Soft and buttery Apricot Almond Shortbread Cookies filled with dried stone fruit and nuts. An easy cookie recipe for a holiday, spring, and summer.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Chilling Time30

Total Time1

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Servings: pieces

Calories: 139kcal

Equipment

Measuring Cups
Measuring spoons
Food processor
Plastic Wrap or parchment paper
Silicone Baking Mats or parchment paper
Knife
Cutting board

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (220 grams)
¼ cup almond flour (30 grams) or wrap for more all purpose flour
⅔ cup powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams) cold, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 ½ Tablespoons water more as needed
½ cup dried apricots roughly chopped
⅓ cup almonds

Instructions

In a food processor, add the flour, almond flour, sugar and salt. Pulse together a few times to mix.
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup almond flour, ⅔ cup powdered sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt
Add the butter chunks around the flour along with the water. Pulse again until the dough starts to come together. Do not over process. It should still look crumbly. The dough should stick together when squeezed. If too dry, add a little more water and briefly incorporate.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ Tablespoons water
Add the dried fruit and almonds and pulse just to combine.
½ cup dried apricots, ⅓ cup almonds
Dump the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Start pressing it together into a log shape, and roll up the paper around it to help make it into a log approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Twist the ends and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position.
Remove the dough log from the paper and using a serrated knife, slice the dough into ½ inch (or thinner) pieces.
Place the cookies on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet at least one inch apart. Bake approximately 20 minutes, until the bottom edges that touch the baking sheet are just starting to turn a golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

You can also make this by hand by pinching the butter into the flour mixture, or using a pastry cutter or fork. If it gets too warm from your hands, chill for a few minutes before continuing.

If you want to make these in a square pan and cut them into triangles or rectangles, follow instructions for Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies after making the dough.

Swap out powdered sugar for the same amount of granulated sugar if you want crunchy cookies.

Shortbread freezes well! The baked cookies or the dough can be frozen up to 3 months.

Nutrition