I’ve been talking about my all-time favorite apricot cookies for two Christmases now, and promising to post the recipe. It took me a little longer than I planned, but I’m finally getting around to it.

Honestly, these are more like little pastries than cookies. But years and years ago when we were first married, my next-door neighbor Julie gave me a plate full of assorted cookies on Christmas with the recipes attached, and the title of her recipe was Best Apricot Cookies so that’s what I’ve always called them.

Reasons 1 and 2 that these cookies are so good: butter and cream cheese, lots of both.

Reasons 3 and 4: dried apricots and Grand Marnier. Yum.

They’re not terribly photogenic, or pretty. They require some thinking ahead, what with the dough and filling both requiring time to chill in the fridge, and rather fiddly with all the rolling-out of small circles of dough. But oh man, are they ever delicious and highly addictive. Consider yourself warned.

Best Apricot Cookies
Adapted from Julie Thomas’s recipe
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

The chilled dough will be very hard to manipulate at first, but as it warms up it gets very sticky, so if you want you can work with half at a time and leave the remainder in the fridge. I find these cookies are much easier if you have someone helping when you assemble the cookies. Your helper might complain about how annoying they are to make, but let them taste a warm cookie from the first batch and they’ll see the work is worth it. (And really, although the day-old cookies are tasty, the hot-from-the-oven ones are divine.)

DOUGH:

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 c. (4 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 c. flour

FILLING:

• 16 oz. dried apricots
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
• powdered sugar and flour for rolling out dough

DIRECTIONS:

1. A day ahead, mix the cream cheese and butter together, then add the flour a cup at a time and combine thoroughly. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Also a day ahead, place the apricots in a saucepan and add water just to cover. Simmer over low heat till the apricots are soft enough to mash with a fork and the water is mostly absorbed. After you mash them all up, add the sugar and liqueur, then cook over low heat till the mixture is thickened and bubbly, usually just a few more minutes. If you like you can run the filling through a food processor once it’s cooled but it’s not usually necessary. Place in a glass or ceramic bowl, cover, and store in fridge till ready to make the cookies.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. In a small bowl, mix equal parts all-purpose flour and powdered sugar together, about a half-cup of each.
5. Roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls, coating hands with the flour-sugar mixture as necessary to prevent sticking, and rolling each formed ball in the flour-sugar mixture to coat it.
6. On a clean surface dusted with the flour-sugar mixture, roll each ball into a circle about 3 inches in diameter.
7. Into the center of each circle, place about a teaspoon of filling. Fold one side over the filling, then fold the opposite side over so it sort of looks like a burrito with open ends. Or you can experiment and find the best method for yourself. I’ve also done mini-turnovers (fold the circle in half and pinch the edges shut). Lightly press the open ends with your fingers to seal.
8. Place the cookies one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, till puffy and golden. Move to cooling racks immediately. Try not to eat them all at once.