This is one of my favorite cookies to bake at the holidays. They look so pretty, so festive, and they are so light and delicate. One year I may switch things up and roll the dough into little balls, press my thumb in them, and then fill them with the jam. But for now...why mess with success? You can use any flavor jam you want. I love strawberry, but have used raspberry, apricot, and blackberry. Yum!! Here's the recipe straight from the cookbook, "Best Loved Cookies"...with a few side notes from moi.
Danish Jam Ribbons
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 TBLS milk
2 TBLS vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
6 tablespoons jam
Glaze (recipe at the end)
DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract until well blended.
2. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups flour. Beat at low speed until well blended. Stir in enough remaining flour with spoon to form stiff dough (I usually get add all the flour). Form dough into disc: wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until fir, at least 30 minutes or overnight (I usually shape mine into a rectangle - it makes the next step easier).
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Rewrap 3 dough pieces and return to refrigerator. With floured hands, shape each piece of dough into 12-inch-long, 3/4 inch thick rope.
4. Place ropes 2 inces apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I always line my cookie sheets with parchment paper - makes clean up a snap!). Make lengthwise 1/4-inch-deep groove down center of each rope with handle of wooden spoon or finger. (Ropes will flatten to 1/2-inch-thick strips.)
5. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon 1 tablespoon jam into each groove. (I place the jam in a Ziplock baggy, snip the end off, and pipe into the grove - much easier.) Return to oven; bake 5-7 minutes longer or until strips are light goldne brown. Cool strips 15 minutes on cookie sheet.
6. Prepare Glaze. Blend 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBLS milk, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Drizzle strips with Glaze; let stand 5 minutes to dry. Cut cookie strips at 45 degree angle into 1 inch slices. Place cookies on wire racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store tightly covered between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.
We were chatting on the phone at 10:30 at night. Both of us were doing laundry when Shannon mentioned that they couldn't get their usual person to take there family photo for this year's Christmas cards. "Uh, hello.." I said. "What's this Sunday look like for you? I actually have this weekend off. I'll come up and do 'em!" With that, it was settled. We met last Sunday at Jerusalem Mill Village, a fantastic historic site off Mountain Road in Joppa. I had never been there but I plan on going back up to explore further. After 3 days straight of rain, it was a brilliant day filled with unseasonably warm temperatures (70 degrees!) and lots of sunlight. 
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I think it's safe to say that I heart Starbucks Maple Oat Nut Scones. I haven't had one in a long time though. Mainly because I'm cheap, I don't feel like the calories, and I'm cheap. Did I mention that I'm cheap? The other day I got Betty Crocker's Bisquick eNewsletter and I suddenly had a craving for maple oat nut scones after seeing this recipe in their newsletter. I've tweaked it to make it more moi. One bite and I was pretty stoked. These are pretty close in taste to Starbucks' scones. Yippy Skippy. 
Scones
2 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1 egg
Maple Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons maple-flavored syrup
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix all scone ingredients until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto surface dusted with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 10 times.
2. Pat dough into 8-inch round on cookie sheet (If dough is sticky, dip fingers in Bisquick mix.) Cut into 8 wedges but do not separate.
3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully separate wedges.
4. In small bowl, beat all glaze ingredients until smooth. Resist the urge to add more liquid - glaze should be thick. Drizzle glaze over scones. Serve warm.
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ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!
FRUSTRATION!!!!
GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
What happened?? Seriously! The Ravens looked amazing last week...and this week, a bunch of middle schoolers showed up in their place. The football game was going so badly that I actually turned the TV off. Typically, my "Sunday thing" is to bake during the game because it relaxes me and helps me not to shout at the television. I have to admit that a twinge of happiness that things worked out the So I popped into the kitchen, pulled out my cobalt blue Kitchen Aid mixer, and got to work making these cookies. They taste like fall with the apples and spices. I love nuts in cookies, but if you're not a fan (or you're allergic), feel free to leave them out altogether. Or you could use butterscotch chips in their place. Or caramel bits. Or white chocolate. Seriously, who would turn down the opportunity to toss some chocolate in a cookie? 
Apple Spice Cookies
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp maple extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped dried apples, divided (I used one 4.5oz bag)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening.
Add in dark brown sugar and white sugar and cream.
Add eggs and maple extract extract and beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt; stir into the butter/sugar mixture until just combined.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, raisins, dried apples, and walnuts. Dump into the butter/sugar/flour mixture until combined.
Line an ungreased cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, form into a walnut-sized ball and place on a the lined cookie sheet. Place a small piece of dried apple on top of the dough, and flatten into a patty.
Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely.
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.
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