Tag Archives: apricot

Oatmeal, Apricot and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Emily in baked goods, cookies, desserts and tagged with , , ,

Bring these to your next spring picnic and people will love you. Apricot and white chocolate chips? Believe it, friends, they are two peas in a pod. Since I posted on apricot scones, many people suggested combining apricots with dried cranberries. I will definitely do that next time, but for now, I suggest everyone enjoy the simple pleasures of these delicious goodies.
oatmeal apricot white chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients
Source: Martha Stewart
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper
1. Mix flour, oatmeal, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
2. Cream butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs, and beat until well combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add flour mixture gradually, beating until just combined.
4. Fold in chocolate and apricots. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 12-13 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges but still soft in the center. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack; let cool. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 1 week.

Voila!

Apricot Scones

Posted by Emily in baked goods, breakfast, brunch and tagged with ,

I am currently on a dried apricot kick. It all started recently when I found a cookie recipe with apricots and white chocolate chips. The next day I stumbled upon this recipe. I took a hint from the food blog spirits, bought a pack of dried apricots and currently on my way towards apricot expertise! These scones were perfect with a little bit of jam and some tea. Next time I might add chopped macadamia nuts or take a hint from these blueberry muffins and swirl in apricot preserves into the batter before baking to enhance the flavor.

apricot scones

Ingredients
Source: Good Things Catered
2 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
3 T. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pinch nutmeg
6 1/2 T. butter, chilled
1 T. vanilla
1 cup half and half, chilled
3/4 c. dried apricots, diced
brown sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheet with parchment paper
1. In a small bowl, combine half and half and vanilla, stir to combine, and place back into fridge.
2. In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and pulse a couple times to combine well.
3. Touching butter as little as possible with your fingers, cut 6 1/2 T. into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Pulse food processor a few times until pieces are about the size of peas
4. Remove half and half mixture from fridge and pour into dry ingredients while processor is running. Pulse a little bit more until just combined. It will be relatively sticky
5. Pour batter into medium bowl. Stir in apricot pieces and turn out onto floured work surface. Pat dough lightly into a 8-10 inch disk, cut into 8-9 pieces and transfer to lined baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar or sugar in the raw over each scone.
6. Bake until just barely beginning to brown, 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet and serve warm.

Voila!

Buttery Jam Cookies

Posted by Emily in baked goods, cookies, desserts and tagged with , , ,

Aha! Day Three!

Tomorrow we’re having a potluck picnic at work. I wanted to bring something tasty but easy on my part. I was perusing food blogs and found a goldmine! ‘The Canadian Baker‘ offered this little diddy and they’re delicious! I amended the recipe a bit, but the original is here.

These are fluffy, moist (and not too buttery) cookies that could really well with an afternoon tea. I used apricot passion fruit jam, but I would love to experiment with blackberry or raspberry or a mixed fruit preserves.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour

Mixing away! (Thanks NTTL!)

Mixing away! (Thanks NTTL!)

1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup apricot jam
pecan pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheet
1. In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger and nutmeg
2. In a separate large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat butter on low-medium until creamy
3. Add sugar and beat until completely mixed and smooth
4. Add egg and mix again, about a minute
5. Add milk and vanilla, mix away! Batter may look likes it curdling, but it’ll smooth out with the addition of the jam.

buttery jam cookies with pecans

buttery jam cookies with pecans

6. On that note, add jam 1/4 cup at a time, beat another minute or so
7. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix. This may take a couple minutes, but you’ll end up with a thick batter
8. Spoon batter, a nice sized spoonful, onto baking sheet, set about 1 inch apart. On half of the cookies add bits of pecan and slightly press into the batter
9. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. The tops won’t become golden brown (if they do — take them out!), but they’ll be spongy and slightly firm to the touch.

And voila, they’re ready to be savored and devoured.

**
Post-baking thoughts: The original recipe said this batter would make 45 cookies, but I must’ve made them too big because I ended up with about 20. But even those 20 can be eaten in 2.5 bites. Like I said earlier, I would like to try other jam/preserve flavors. Any other thoughts if you tried the recipe?