Savory cookies.

I have a professional crush on Dorie Greenspan, I’ll admit it—and not because her hair is cuter and even shorter than mine. Her feature in the November issue of Food and Wine, The Cookie Canapé, is truly inspiring, because she’s creating something really new and interesting. The idea? Little sweet-savory “cookies” that make perfect nibbles with wine, either before or after dinner. They’re adorably sized, less than 2 inches round, and packed with tons of flavor. Since I’m a junkie for both cute foods and for the sweet/savory flavor combo, I was totally smitten with these.

Food and Wine has posted recipes for all of Dorie’s cookies: Chocolate-Cayenne Cocktail Cookies, Salty Black-and-White Sesame Cocktail Cookies, Rosemary/Almond/Parmesan Cocktail Cookies (which I also made and LOVED), and these …

apricot-tarragon cocktail cookies

1/2 cup quality dried apricots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup good olive oil
3/4 tsp. sea salt
2 cups flour

In a small bowl, cover the chopped apricots with hot water and let stand for about 10 minutes until they’re soft. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. In another bowl, combine sugar and tarragon, and rub with your fingers to release the herb’s oils into the sugar.

In a stand mixer, cream together the tarragon sugar and butter. Beat in the egg yolk just until combined. Slowly (this is key) drizzle in the olive oil and blend smooth. Add salt and flour, blend to combine, then add apricots and mix on low speed to incorporate.

Knead the dough together with your hands until it comes together, then divide in half and do one of two things: For cut-out cookies, press each lump of dough into a flat disk and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Place the rolled-out dough on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and put it in the freezer for about an hour until it firms up. Then cut out 1 1/2-inch circles. OR, roll each lump of dough into a log that’s 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in wax paper and freeze for an hour before slicing into 1/4 inch slices.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment. Place cookies an inch apart; bake for about 20 minutes until they’re lightly golden.