Karin's Week Four Recipe: Poppy Seed Filled Ravioli Cookies

From the Betty Crocker 40th Anniversary Cookbook. This was on a facing page to the Spritz cookies I had made earlier in the week, and the pictures looked good. I also had all of the ingredients on hand, and another request for a sweet. I am not sure still exactly why I had so much poppy seed on hand, nor why there seems to be a binge on sweets in my house. And, I'd never made ravioli before, and that sounded like fun. These cookies also required rolling out, which I try to avoid when cookie baking if at all possible, so presented me with a challenge.

Poppy Seed Filled Ravioli Cookies

1c sugar
1/2c shortening
1/4c butter, softened
2 eggs
1t vanilla
2.5c flour
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2c poppy seed
1/2c almonds
1/2c milk
2T honey
1t finely shredded lemon peel
1T lemon juice
Honey
Poppy Seed

Mix sugar, shortening, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Divide dough into 4 equal parts, cover, and refrigerate for 2hours. Place poppy seed, almonds, milk, honey, lemon peel, and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Cover and blend/process until liquid is absorbed.

Heat oven to 400deg. Roll one part of dough (on floured surface) into rectangle 12x8". Cut dough into 12 rectangles each 2x3". Place 1t of poppy seed mixture on each rectangle and fold dough over filling. Press edges with fork (ala peanut butter cookies) to seal edges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10min until light brown. Brush with honey and sprinkle poppy seed on warm cookies. Cool on rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

This recipe was sort of a comedy of errors in the making; mostly due to the filling. The recipe says that one can use a food processor to make the filling. One can NOT use such a device. If one does, one ends up with filling on the wall, the pup, the counter top, the cupboards, and the floor as soon as one pushes Go. Even if one places a dish towel over the top of the processor as if one is a professional chef. AND, the liquid does not really absorb, but rather oozes out of the seal of the processor and down onto the counter. I could not use a blender, as I have burnt up the gears on my current one and am without. Gentle readers, please, if you try this recipe, use a blender. You will save yourself much clean up.

On a more positive note, the dough was very easy to roll out, but not so much into a nice rectangle. My cookies came out in all shapes, not really looking like ravioli. And if you did indeed make them the correct size, you will have enough filling for at least 2 batches. I got the 48 cookies that it said, and mine were enormous. The dough is quite tasty, but the filling leaves something to be desired. If I try this again, I will make some sort of different filling.