“The cookies are essentially a shortbread batter elevated with sweet and savory ingredients that produce the most tantalizing bouchée which, after just one bite will transport you to a state of food nirvana.”

But never satisfied to leave well enough alone, Lisa was curious what would happen if she adapted the recipe to include apricots to the savory recipe and add a whole egg instead of egg yolks to plump up the cookie and bind it better when baked through.

Turns out she was right on all counts. This sweet and savory version will add a patina of sophistication to your next cocktail party.

The Ultimate Cocktail Cookie

Yields 3 dozen cookies

Click here for printable version

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 1/2 cup whole dried apricots, softened in boiling water for ten minutes and then chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (additional flour for rolling and cutting)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 ounce)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 egg

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Add the whole almonds to a food processor and pulse to the consistency of grainy flour. Add the rosemary and sugar and pulse until completely combined. Now add the chopped apricots and pulse until they are well integrated. Add the flour and pulse into a fine grainy mixture.
• Now add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and pulse until large clumps of dough form.
• Flour your work surface. Transfer the dough and press into a disc. Lightly flour the disc and with a rolling pin very gently roll into a larger circle until the dough is 1/2″ thick.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden; you may need to spin the sheet half way through if your oven cooks unevenly. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pro tip: Want to make this ahead?

The rolled-out cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for 2 weeks. Then bake cookies as instructed above.

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