Pear & Almond Pie Pillows

I've been terribly late in my blog postings lately.  And now Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  My apologies.  Let me make it up to you with a delicious cookie recipe and a great song.

A love a good "pillow" cookie, and almost any dessert is better with almonds.  These cookies feature a pie crust exterior, an almond paste and pear filling, and a sprinkling of turbinado sugar for a sweet crunch.  I have to admit: these cookies were a bit time consuming to create, but the end result was delicious.  We even ate a few of them warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream: cookies a la mode.

Pillow cookies typically feature a sugar-cookie dough, filled with an almond or chocolate filling.  I really think the flaky, buttery pie crust makes these ones extra special.  (And, you could fill them with almost any pie filling!  Mini pies, mini cookies . . . .)  In fall, grocery markets begin stocking Bartlett pears, and they're perfect for this pastry treat. 

For a song, here's Joanna Newsom's fun and quirky "Peach Plum Pear."

And now for the dessert.  First, you've gotta make a pie crust, and here's my trusty recipe (doubled):

--2 1/2 c. flour

--1 c. butter, cold

--1/2 c. ice water

--pinch of salt

Pour flour into a large bowl.  Then, cut in the butter, either by hand or by placing ingredients in a food processor.  Next, pour in ice water and mix together.  Continue kneading until all dry flour has been absorbed.  Finally, form the dough into two balls, and rolls each into a large circle.  Using a 3" biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the pie crust (just like you would cut-out cookies).  Continue rolling dough and cutting circles until all the dough has been used.  Stack your dough circles and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

The Filling, etc:

--4 Bartlett pears, peeled, sliced, and cut into rough 1" pieces

--1 6 oz can almond paste

--1 tbsp. granulated sugar

--2 tsp. all-purpose flour

--2 tbsp. unsalted butter

--2 whole eggs, + 1 egg white

--2 tbsp. turbinado sugar (for dusting)

In a small food processor, pulse the almond paste (it may be quite hard coming out of the can--don't worry: it'll soften with the other ingredients), sugar, flour, and butter.  Once that has pulsed, add one egg and one egg white (the second egg is for an egg wash over the pie crusts).  

On a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet, spread pie crust circles approximately one inch apart.  Spread a thin layer of the almond paste filling onto each, and then top with a few pieces of pear.  Place another pie crust circle on top, gently pressing the edges down to seal.  Next, taking a fork, press the tines all along the edges, fully sealing these cookies/mini pies.  

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash over each "pillow."  Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top, cut a small slit in the top of each, and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden.  Repeat with remaining pie crust circles and filling ingredients.  

Serve hot out of the oven with ice cream, or after they've cooled.  They'll also store well for a few days in an airtight container.