HUNGARIAN NON-PLUS ULTRA COOKIES Recipe

How to make it

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• Prepare ahead – prepare 3 separate dipping bowls; one each of beaten egg white, crushed sugar and slivered or chopped almonds – set aside.
• Jam should be room temperature, or warmed a little in microwave. You can spoon jam into a small zip lock plastic for easier handling. Set aside.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Then add sugar and egg and blend well but do not over-beat (See warning below). Add flour – 1 cup at a time and blend well. (Or you can use a standing mixer on medium speed). Form dough into 2 balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll out 1st ball – Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and let come to room temp – 10-15 minutes. On a lightly floured pastry board, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. (Alternately, you can roll out dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper. It’s much easier to handle- especially in warmer humid climates).
• Cut out scalloped edged cookies with cookie cutter dipping in corn-starch or flour to ensure clean cuts. Makes 36-40. These cutters should have a hole in the centre, but if your cookie cutter is only a floral edge, use a large thimble to remove dough in centre.
• Take each scalloped cookie and dip top-side of cookie into bowl of beaten egg white. (Alternately use a pastry brush to brush tops with egg whites.) Then either dip into flat plate of chopped almonds and broken cubed sugar or sprinkle each one by hand, which ever is easier.
• Place each cookie gently on parchment lined cookie sheet about 3” apart. Bake at 325-250°F for 15 minutes on centre wrack of oven. Cookies will be lightly golden on bottom edge. Remove immediately and transfer to cooling rack.
• Roll out 2nd ball- Remove from refrigerator and let come to room temp – 10-15 and cut out flat round bottom cookies – same diameter as top scalloped edged. Bake at 325-250°F for 15 minutes.
• As soon as these cookies come out of oven, get ready with jam. Spoon 1 tsp of jam in centre and quickly but gently, press the scalloped-edged cookies onto the flat plain round ones. Put all double-layered cookies back onto parchment lined cookie sheet return to oven for 5 minutes – just until jam starts to melt and will bind the top and bottom cookie layers together.
• Warning: Use the French kitchen philosophy as when you prepare pie pastry – No touch pas (don’t touch) – the butter melts and you end up with rue – not cookie dough. The less you touch the dough with your hands – the better your end results.
• Shortbread with keep in an airtight container for about a week or frozen for several months.