Apricot Pastelitos

Preheat Oven 400 degrees

Place apricots in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with water. Cook at medium heat until fruit is soft and almost mushy. Drain.

Preée fruit in a blender, add 3/4 cup sugar, return mixture to saucepan. Cool mixture at medium heat until it is thick. Set aside. 

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and cut in shortening. 

Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add water, a small amount at a time, and work mixture into a dough. 

Divide pastry in half and roll each half on a lightly floured board to fit a 9x11 inch jelly-roll pan. 

Line jelly-roll pan with one half of rolled pastry. Spread apricot mixture evenly over pastry. 

Place second half of rolled pastry over top of apricot mixture. Cut pastry edges to just touch sides of jelly-roll pan. Press edges of pastry together with a fork to seal the edges. 

Sprinkle remaining sugar and cinnamon over top of pastry. Make several vent openings in pastry with the tines of a fork. 

Bake pastelitos in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes. Cool and cut pastelitos into rectangles or squares.