Czech Squares
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- Pinch fine salt
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, diced and slightly chilled
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- Filling
- 1 cup cherry jam
- 1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg white, for brushing
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.
- Cool completely.
- Butter a 9 by 12 1/2-inch baking sheet pan, then cover bottom with parchment paper.
- Pulse the walnuts with the sugar, in a food processor until fine and powdery, about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour, spices, and salt, pulsing until evenly combined.
- Add the butter, yolks, and brandy and pulse until the mixture starts to come together.
- Stop mixing and pull the dough together by hand, press and roll into a thick log about 8 inches long.
- Cut the log crosswise into 12 equal pieces.
- (If the dough is very sticky, refrigerate it until easier to work with, about 30 minutes.)
- Lay 8 pieces of the dough on the bottom of the pan.
- Press and spread the pieces together with your fingertips to cover the pan evenly.
- Stir the cherry jam, lemon zest and juice together in a bowl.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough with the back of a spoon.
- Roll the remaining dough out on a well-floured surface about 1/8-inch thick.
- Use a small decorative cutter, such as a leaf, tree, or star, to cut the dough into 24 pieces.
- Evenly place the pieces on top of the filling in 6 rows of 4.
- Alternatively cut the dough into long strips with a pizza wheel or knife, and place them on the filling in a lattice pattern; or cut the dough into ovals and lay them on the filling in a decorative pattern.
- Brush decorative layer of dough with egg white.
- Bake the squares until golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
- Cut with a serrated knife into 2-inch squares.
walnut pieces, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground clove, salt, butter, egg yolks, brandy, filling, cherry jam, lemon, lemon juice, egg
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/czech-squares-recipe2.html (may not work)