ravioli for dessert

maybe it is that i had ravioli for dinner three days last week. maybe it is that i am italian. maybe the folks that published this recipe don’t know the difference between what a pillow looks like in comparison to what ravioli look like. whatever the reason, these pillow cookies look a lot more like ravioli to me than they do pillows.

the original recipe was for orange-fig filling, but that did not sound nearly as appealing to me as orange-raspberry. unfortunately, it was not until about 4pm today when i went to bake that i found that i had no oranges. (my keyword search powered brain is singing “yes, we have no bananas”). i would have gone back out to the store, but i had lemons and those are delicious with raspberry as well!

i think i ended up using a lot more filling than was called for, nearly doubling it actually, and i am glad i did! i will chalk it up to raspberry being better in larger portions than figs, or other people maybe not liking fruit filling as much as i do, but i think that 1/4 cup was nowhere near enough.i made another pretty major modification to the recipe– i drastically cut down on the butter. the original recipe called for 2/3 cup butter, which in my opinion was too much for a recipe that only yields 24 cookies. again, i am glad i made the modification that i did. sure, they would have been more moist and rich in flavor, but there is plenty of time for butter cookies as the holidays approach, and i think that they have more than enough flavor with the filling. i will note that this made the dough more dry, so after it came out of the fridge it needed a few minutes and some playing to soften up. after that though, it was easy to work with.

i think these came out delicious, and are relatively healthy…all-around a great snack! if i had not already had my daily ice cream, i would have had some blood orange sorbet or vanilla ice cream as “sauce” for my ravioli. i must say posing these with a fork reminded me of the seinfeld episode where everyone was eating candy bars with a fork and knife, and m&ms with a spoon. while these are certainly intended to be eaten by hand, feel free to class them up with a fork  [o:

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens:

ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raspberry preserves
• Finely grated peel of one lemon or orange
• Milk (optional)
• Coarse white and/or colored sugar (optional)

directions

1. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two large cookie sheets; set aside. For filling: In a small bowl, stir together preserves and peel.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12×8-inch rectangle. Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut around the edge of each rectangle. Using the pastry wheel, cut each rectangle into twenty-four 2-inch squares. Place half of the squares 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the preserves in the center of each square on the cookie sheets. Top each with a second dough square. Gently press edges with the tines of a fork to seal. If desired, lightly brush tops of cookies with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool. Makes 24 cookies.

TO STORE: Layer between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If desired, sprinkle cookies with sugar just before serving.