Happy New Year Everyone!!! I wish everyone a prosperous new year full of good health, happiness & joy! I have met so many wonderful people ever since I started my blog, I am so thankful for you. I am also thankful for my readers for giving me all of the love & support, I thank you! My resolution for this year is to have a healthy lifestyle and exersize a lot more. Most of all I want the new year to bring peace & love to our world. Have a cookie and be happy! Eat, Love & Eat more!
I love fruity desserts and Mascarpone cheese. I especially love Italian cookies & biscotti. So when I saw this recipe on a wonderful blog which I discovered recently called Italian Food Forever. I could not wait to try this delectable cookie recipe. I loved the idea of using mascarpone cheese in the recipe which makes these cookies very tender, and the fig & apricot jam adds a delicious sweetness.
I wanted to go one step further & make my own homemade jam from fresh figs & apricots. I was able to find some gorgeous fresh figs & apricots in my local gourmet Fresh Market. I especially enjoyed making my own jams, there was something organic about it. I wondered why I didn’t make homemade jams more often. I was surprised how easy & rewarding making your own jam can be, plus the aroma of the figs & apricots cooking in sugar & lemon juice was a treat for the senses.
Homemade Fig Jam
Homemade Apricot Jam
RECIPE FOR MASCARPONE FIG & APRICOT JAM COOKIES
RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE FIG & APRICOT JAM
recipe for the cookies adapted from Italian Food Forever Blog recipe for the fig & apricot jam adapted from my Mom in Law
Ingredients for Mascarpone Fig & Apricot Jam Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup softened mascarpone cheese
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fig & apricot jam
Method for Mascarpone Fig & Apricot Cookies
- Beat together the butter and sugar until light.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- Add the mascarpone cheese, and beat until smooth. Sift together the dry ingredients, and fold them into the butter mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place sheets of parchment paper, or silicone baking liners on two cookie pans.
- On a lightly floured counter or board, roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Using a blunt round object like the end of a wooden spoon, create an indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or just as the cookies begin to color.
- While still warm, use the spoon to redifine the circle, and then carefully spoon a little jam into each cookie.
- Let sit at room temperature until the jam is set.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe & Ingredients for Homemade Fig Jam
- 2 cartons of fresh figs, chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Ingredients for Apricot Jam
- 2-3 lbs of apricots, chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method for both Jams
- In a medium sauce pan heat water & sugar together until the sugar is well blended.
- Add the fruit & mix well
- let it cook until fruit starts to break down & thicken, about 10 minutes.
- Add lemon juice & mix well.
- Let it simmer until fruit has been cooked & thickened.
- cool & refrigerate the jam in an airtight container.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Sara, I like that you used everything homemade in this recipe including the jam.
Have a happy new year!
Happy New Year! Keep more amazing posts coming in 2011!
Your jams are beautiful (love the colors) and so are your cookies. I’m having a cup of tea right now w/o cookies
Sara, wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year 2011!!
Sara, this is totally food-porn post! I can’t imagine the jam can be more sexier than this. I’m sold out.
Sara, that apricot jam is just stunning! It looks so vibrant and delicious! I hope that one day, we get the chance to hang out so we can share some cookies and coffee. All the best in the new year- it was such a pleasure getting to know you and your blog in 2010, I can’t wait to see what 2011 brings
these look wonderful
Happy New Year Sara
Rebecca
Thanks Nadia, Sonia, Azmeena, & Rebecca…Happy New Year to all of you!
Ok, that my friend is utter torture! The photographs are gorgeous and popping out the screen and I can’t do anything other than just staring at them:-( LOVE this post and the cookies!
these are the prettiest cookies I have seen lately; love these jams, I need to make some ! and the color of texture of the dough is out of this world. Happy new year and a great 2011 to you and your loved ones!
Those cookies look good! Happy New Year!
Oooh, such pretty cookies, Sara! Your choice of jams is really wonderful. Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! XOXO
Making jam always brings back such nice memories of my childhood summers in France with my grandparents. We would pick fresh blackberries from the woods and make our own big batches of jam, that we would eat in the morning on fresh baguette – yum! I still love making jam to this day, you should see my pantry shelves, filled with homemade jam jars
I’m glad you enjoyed making your own jams as well, they look beautiful.
Happy New Year my dear friend and wish you all the same. I love mascarpone and the fruits too! So this is just the way I would love to have a cookie. They look and sound gorgeous Sara.
Thank you Soma, Joumana, Kevin, Faith & Sylivie! Happy New Year!
@Sylvie what a beautiful memory that you have with your grandparents…priceless..thanks for sharing!
A very very Happy New Year! I love this recipe! I have never seen these made with mascarpone and since I love everything made with this luscious, creamy cheese I can only imagine how fabulous they make these cookies! I want to try these! And good for you for making your own jam, that is something I just don’t have the energy to ever do! xoxo Happy New Year, my dear friend, and so looking forward to meeting you in 2011!!! I hope! Italy? October? Yes!
i love all the different colours in the photos , Sara. are those bowls from Istanbul? i have the same
x shayma