PETITE FOURS COOKIES

1/2 lb. butter
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
2 c. flour
1 c. ground walnuts
1/2 c. apricot or strawberry jam

Cream sugar gradually then egg yolks. Blend well, gradually add flour, then fold in ground nuts. Spread half of batter into cake pan (batter is thick). Top with jam - leave edges free, top with remaining dough. Spread carefully, use fingers if desired. Bake, cool. Cut into squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Needed - 9 inch square cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes

NB: be creative while you decorate the petite fours use dries cherries - pistachioes almonds, hazlenuts or chocolate , raisins etc , after mixing your dough devide the dough into two and add chocolate to the white dough and use the shaping molds .

In order to stick two petite fours together use apricot jam as shown in the pic ..

Petit fours refer to bite-sized pastries that are often served at the end of a large meal or with afternoon tea. Originally a French term, petit fours literally translate as "small oven" and derive their name from the method in which they were made. Historically, cakes in France were baked in coal-fueled ovens, which burned hotter than wood-fed ovens, in temperatures that were harder to control. After baking large cakes in the oven, the heat remaining while the oven cooled was enough for baking smaller ones. These came to be known in the modern day as petit fours.

Petit fours can be found both ready-made and fresh in stores that offer fine baked goods, but they can be made at home as well. These confections fall under two categories, called sec or glacé. All petit fours have layers and are covered in fondant, which is a pasty sugar and water mixture. In addition, there can be hard or soft candy decorations on top of them, often in the shape of a rose or some other dainty thing.

Petit fours sec are "dry" confections that do not involve further embellishment once they have been baked and are readily served. Such petit fours include ladyfingers, macaroons, and cigarettes. Petit fours glacé, on the other hand, can be manipulated in a variety of ways once baked. They can be dipped and decorated with icing or any form of glaze, or filled with sweet fillings like jam, cream, or chocolate. Miniature sponge cakes or angel food cakes make appropriate bases for petit fours glacé. Other kinds of petit fours glacé are eclairs and tarts.