Finnish Ribbon Cookies

Recipe from Chef Richard Palm.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup raspberry or apricot jam
½ cup confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in the yolk, vanilla and lemon zest.

In another bowl, stir the flour and salt together and gradually add to the butter mixture, blending thoroughly. If the dough is too soft to handle, chill for 10 to 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 even pieces, then roll each piece into 3 ropes about 3/4 inch in diameter. Place the ropes 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With the side of your little finger, press a long groove down the center of each rope, taking care not to press all the way down to the sheet.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the sheets from the oven and carefully spoon the jam in the grooves down the center of each cookie. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes until the cookies are firm to the touch and light golden brown. While cookies are baking, in a small bowl mix the confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon water until smooth. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, drizzle each ribbon with the glaze. Immediately cut the cookies at a 45-degree angle into 1-inch lengths.

Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack; they are fragile while warm and will break easily. Cool completely.

Makes approximately 60 cookies.