Russian Walnut Apricot Bars

Here's another belatedly posted holiday recipe. My mom wanted to serve these on our dessert table - she always talks about how she wants to keep things simple this year and not go crazy and then we make several main dishes, a ton of sides and a packed table of desserts. 

I tried to convince her we didn't need to make the Russian Torte since we had more than enough already, but I ended up making it. I'd never baked anything like these bars before, and they were really good - sweet but not too sweet, nutty and tangy.

4 cups walnuts, ground

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

4 cups flour, sifted

3 sticks butter

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 10 oz jars or bags apricot filling

5 egg whites

10 tbsp sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients and mix. Measure 1 cup and set aside for topping. 

Combine yeast with warm water. Set aside. 

Sift flour into bowl; add butter and blend until mealy in texture. Add egg yolks, milk and yeast mixture. Blend and stir batter until it pulls away from the bowl. Place on floured board and knead a few minutes. 

Divide dough into 3 sections. Roll first section to measure 15 x 10". If dough is difficult to handle, roll between waxed paper. Place in lightly greased pan and work sides for lining. Spread nut mixture over dough, Roll and place second section over nuts. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. During last 10 minutes of baking, beat egg whites and sugar until still. Spread mixture on tore and cover with saved nut mixture. Return to oven until light golden brown. Cut diagonally into 1" squares.