Condensed Milk Dough Cookies with Poppy Seed Filling

 

Ever since I’ve discovered the following condensed milk dough, I’ve been using it in different ways, and was very pleased with the results every time.
This time, I matched this wonderful dough with an equally wonderful poppy seed filling, and the result was just as pleasing.
The poppy seed filling is cooked with milk and finished with a small amount of butter, which enhances the poppy seeds flavor and gives it a velvety texture. Other additions include fresh lemon juice and zest, golden raisins, almond flour, apricot jam and strawberry jam – each contributing their unique flavor and aroma to the mix.
To enhance the lemony aroma even further, I’ve also added fresh lemon zest and a drop of pure lemon oil to the dough as well.
The dramatic contrast between the pale milky dough, and dark rich filling, created cookies that are as pretty as they are tasty. Try them and enjoy.

Notes:
* Poppy seeds tend to get rancid quickly, so it is best to buy them whole and grind them just before using, as shown here.
* Pearl sugar is a special sugar, that keeps its white color and shape while baking. It can be found in specialty stores or online.

Makes: 44-46 cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 30 minutes and up to overnight
Baking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 L egg, at room temperature
½ cup condensed sweetened milk
1 Tbs lemon zest
A drop of pure lemon oil
1½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
For the filling:
1 cup blue poppy seeds (see notes)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
A drop of pure lemon oil
¼ cup golden raisins
1 Tbs smooth strawberry jam/jelly
1 Tbs smooth apricot jam
¼ cup almond flour
1 Tbs butter
For the egg wash:
1 L egg yolk
1 Tbs milk
1 Tbs water
½ tsp vanilla
For scattering over the roulades:
¼ cup peal sugar (see notes)

1. The dough: in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, condensed milk, lemon zest and lemon oil. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix, first with a spatula (the dough is quite sticky at first), then knead briefly, (adding a bit of flour if needed). Wrap the dough with wax paper, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
2. The filling: finely grind the poppy seeds in a spice grinder. Place in a medium pot and add the sugar, milk, lemon juice, zest and oil, raisins and jam. Mix and bring to a boil, over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes, mixing occasionally. Add the almond flour, mix and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat, add the butter and mix until it melts. Taste and adjust flavors. Cool to room temperature, and place in the fridge for an hour, or overnight.
3. When ready to bake, bring the dough and filling to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 340F (170C). Line a cookie sheet pan with baking paper.
4. The egg wash: whisk the egg yolk with the milk, water and vanilla.
5. Divide the dough into three parts. Roll each part on a lightly floured work space, into a rectangle, about 10” (25.4 cm) x 5.5” (14 cm). Spread a third of the filling over each part, brush the sides with a bit of the egg wash, and roll to a roulades.
6. Place in the baking pan, seam side down, and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Using a plastic dough scraper, or a dull knife, cut the roulades, not all the way through, to about 0.6” (1.5 cm) thick sections. Scatter the pearl sugar on top.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, until the roulades are pale-golden. Take out of the oven, and cut the sections all the way through, separating the cookies. Place back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer, until the tops are deep-golden. Place over a rack, to cool to room temperature, before serving.