Recipe - 1993 2nd Place Mozart Cookies

3 cup Allpurpose flour
One half cup Granulated sugar
2 Egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
One half teaspoon Salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup Unsalted butter, softened

FILLING
12 ounce Apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Rum
Confectioners' sugar

Preparation time: 1 One fourth hours Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes

1. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and make an indentation or well in
the center of the flour. Add the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, salt and lemon
rind to the well. Mix the ingredients in the well together with the flour.
Then cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two sharp knives. At this
point the dough will resemble coarse crumbs. Turn the dough out onto a work
surface and knead it with your hands until smooth and firm. Divide dough in
half and shape into two balls.

2. Wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll out,
about 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, heat the apricot preserves over low heat, stirring
constantly. Stir in lemon juice and rum. Let cool.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured
surface or between two sheets of floured wax paper. Roll out with a floured
rolling pin to about 1/4inch thickness. Cut out circles of dough about 2
inches in diameter. Place half of the circles onto greased or nonstick
cookie sheets. Cut the other half of the circles again with a small shot
glass or cookie cutter to form a ring shape. (Make an equal amount of rings
to circles.) Place the rings onto buttered baking sheets. Bake until light
gold, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool a little on the cookie sheets.

5. To assemble, brush the stillwarm circles with the cooled apricot
mixture. Place one ring on top of each circle and press gently (they break
easily) to secure. Spoon a small dollop of the apricot mixture into the
center of the cookies. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Cool. Store in a
tightly closed tin.

Infused with bits of lemon and pure vanilla and filled with apricot
preserves and rum, the buttery rounds brought secondplace honors to their
baker, Germanborn Anne Kroemer of Chicago. Anne uses a wine glass and a
smaller schnapps glass to cut out these cookies. We've made them slightly
smaller by using round cookie cutters; biscuit cutters work as well. from
the Chicago Tribune sixth annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie Contest December
2, 1993
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V3 #339

From: Linda Place placel@worldnet.att.net

Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 04:11:40 +0000