Cashew Crusted Guava Cream Cookies

by Karen Crosby
(Crockett, CA, USA)

This is a recipe I concocted when I wanted to meld both Caribbean (husband's family) and traditional American flavors into one cookie for the Holidays. Very simple and straightforward: mix, shape, dip, fill and bake! Sorry, I do not have a photo, we are hoping Santa will replace our broken camera.

Cashew Crusted Guava Cream Cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Crust:

1/2 cup cashews finely chopped (lightly salted)

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup guava jelly
1 egg yolk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine all-purpose flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat unsalted butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll edges in chopped cashews. Arrange on ungreased baking sheet, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Make depression in center of each using thumb or handle of wooden spoon. Fill depressions with 1 teaspoon cream cheese filling.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Yield: 2 dozen