Ice Cream Nut Roll Cookies is a scrumptious way to kick off Kitchen Mailbox's holiday baking season.

But what would you expect from a cookie made with butter and ice cream? The recipe was requested by Jamie Kern of Butler: "I am looking for a recipe for small nut roll cookies. My mother-in-law used French vanilla ice cream instead of yeast in the dough, and they were delicious. But when she died no one had a copy of the recipe."

Sue Caruso of Pleasant Hills came to the rescue. This recipe is easy! Only four ingredients make up the dough -- butter, ice cream, flour and vanilla. The dough is rolled out, then cut into pie-shaped wedges. The wedges are spread with a nut filling (or apricot if you prefer) and baked. A dusting of powdered sugar finishes the cookies.

A word of advice: The dough calls for 4 cups flour -- after adding all 4 cups, our dough was still to sticky to handle. We added another cup and refrigerated the dough overnight.

ICE CREAM NUT ROLL COOKIES

• 2 cups butter (4 sticks)
  
• 4 cups all purpose flour
  
• 1 pint vanilla or French vanilla ice cream
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour as for pastry. Add softened ice cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well, until a heavy smooth dough forms. Divide dough into 8 equal portions and shape into balls. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll each ball into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Cut each circle into 12 wedges (about 3 inches wide at the widest point).

Spread each wedge with about 1 teaspoon of filling (recipe follows). Roll from wide end to narrow end. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.

Remove cookies and place on cooling racks. Liberally dust cookies with powdered sugar.

Yields 96 cookies.

Nut filling:

• 1 pound ground walnuts (about 4 cups)
  
• About 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup milk, scalded

Few drops of fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients until combined.

Next week: Chocolate Cream Cheese Ball and Apricot Bars.

Request

Beverly Price of Crafton has a few requests: "I would love the recipe for Potato Leek Soup, which is made by one of the cooks at Prestogeorge (in the Strip District) -- it is ever so delicious.