Raspberry & Apricot Pie Dough Pastries

If you follow my posts, you’re probably aware of my love affair with pie dough. I try not to keep it around too much because it’s very easy for me to find things to do with it. Fruit pies are the most obvious, but visions of cookies, pot pies, savory tarts, rustic fruit tarts, meat pies, covered apples, and just plain pie dough baked with dairy-free butter, sugar, and cinnamon dance through my head when I know I have a batch of dough waiting for me in the freezer. I de-glutened my mother in law’s recipe, which came from her mother, and I’m not afraid to tell you that it’s the best pie dough I have ever tasted in my life. Even de-glutened it is fabulous beyond words.

I made these cookies (and the Clementine Tart)  for a dessert at my in-law’s last night. The family loved them and we came home with empty plates, which always makes me feel good. Seriously, what’s not to love about pie dough, jelly, and almond frosting? I hope you have a lot of willpower…unlike me. I ate 3 or 4 of them while I was frosting them and then could only bring myself to eat one more when it was time for dessert. My son’s girlfriend thought they would go great with a glass of milk, I thought they would go great with a hot cup of tea, and I’m sure the coffee lovers thought they would go great with coffee. We all ended up eating dessert and drinking wine, so really, they go well with anything you like.

Raspberry & Apricot Pie Dough Pastries

Preheat oven to 325°

*I forgot to count how many cookies this recipe actually made, but I would say that I got at least 35-40 out of it. Minus a few for nibbling while frosting.

2 Portions of Gluten Free Pie Dough (The highlighted link makes 4 individual pie crusts, you will need 2. If you make the pie dough the same day you plan to make the cookies, it will need to chill for at least 2 hours.)

Gluten Free Flour For Rolling

1 Small Jar Each – 100% Fruit Raspberry & Apricot Jelly

About 2 Cups Powdered Sugar

About 1 Tablespoon Dairy Free Butter

About 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

On floured parchment paper, roll out the first batch of dough. Trim edges so that it resembles a square.

Cut into rows, making smaller squares.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. In two small bowls place about 3/4 each of the apricot and raspberry jellies. Stir with a spoon to smooth.

Melt the butter. In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, and almond extract, adding a tiny bit of warm water a little a time until the mixture is of a medium-thick drizzling consistency and all lumps are whisked out. Set aside.

With a lightly floured spatula, transfer each square to the covered baking sheet. Press the squares out lightly with your fingers.

Next, place about a teaspoon or so of jelly in the middle of each square and bring two of the sides together. Slightly overlap the sides, kind of smoothing the dough over the other side. When my first batch came out of the oven, I had a few that popped open because I didn’t make sure the dough was smoothed together.

Some of them will look absolutely perfect and some of them won’t. Don’t fret about it, baking is supposed to be fun and relaxing! Bake them for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove them from the baking sheet onto a wire cooling rack to cool slightly before frosting. Once they have cooled for 5 minutes or so, drizzle with frosting.

Continue with the remaining dough from the first batch and then roll out the second batch and follow the steps above.

Allow them to sit for 15-20 minutes before plating so the frosting has time to set up.