Apple Roll Cookies/Apple Newtons

A while back I made a particular favourite of mine, Fig Rolls, also known as Fig Newtons.  Today I decided to make an apple version of those cookies.

The important thing in this particular recipe was to ensure that the apples didn’t release too much juice into the cookie dough during baking.  So I stewed the apples until most of the moisture released had evaporated, leaving me with moist and tasty apple compote to fill the cookies.

Easy to make and without taking too much time these are, like Fig Rolls, a very good sweet treat that go very well with tea of coffee.

Mine turned out very well indeed, though I think I did put a little too much apple filling in each roll.  But that is a matter of preference to some extent.  In an case they tasted wonderful.

Ingredients:
For the apple filling:

• 900g(2lbs) apples,  about 4 large apples.
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 42g(3 tbsp) butter
• 100g(1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the dough:

• 280g(2 cups+2 tbps) plain flour
• 67g(1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 127g(1 stick+1 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 2 medium eggs(large in USA)
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Peel and core the apples and dice into small pieces.
2. Stir the diced apples, in a large bowl, into the lemon juice to prevent them from going brown.
3. In a pan place the 42 g of butter, on a medium heat, and allow it to start melting.
4. Add the sugar, ground cinnamon and apple and stir until all is nicely combined.
5. Allow the apples to come to a boil and then simmer on a gentle heat until There is no leaking moisture.  You will need to stir from time to time.
6. Place the apples into a bowl and allow to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F and get a couple of baking trays ready, lined with parchment paper.
8. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times to mix.
9. Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until the butter is finely mixed in, but the mixture is still cool and powdery.
10. Add the eggs and vanilla and pulse repeatedly until the dough starts to clump together.
11. Invert the bowl onto a floured work surface and carefully remove the blade. Briefly knead the dough 2-3 times to make it smooth.
12. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a rope about 12″ long.
13. Place 1 rope on a floured work surface, or on parchment paper, and press and roll it to make a rectangle of dough about 4′ wide and 12″ long.
14. Pipe or spoon about 1/4 of the filling along the length of the dough,  3/4 inch from one edge and leaving a gap of 3/4 inch as each end. Use a pastry brush to paint the exposed dough with water, then lift up the  3/4 inch side dough onto the apple and then roll it over to enclose the apple entirely.
15. Pinch the the ends together to close them
16. Turn the filled dough over so that the seam is on the bottom and transfer it to one of the prepared baking trays
17. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing 2 filled dough cylinders on each tray. Gently flatten the cylinders of dough with the palm of your hand.
18. When you are ready to bake the cookies, set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 350F/180C/160C Fan
19. Bake the cookies until the dough is set and golden, 15-20 minutes.
20. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking trays for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
21. Cut the rolls into 2 inch pieces, discarding each end.