Pecan and apricot cookies

Pecan and apricot cookies are light, fruity and nutty and are a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee. They are a variation on blueberry and white chocolate cookies and the ever popular chocolate chip and oat cookies, all of which are delicious and I find it difficult to choose a favourite. The quantities in this cookie recipe are sufficient to make around 22.

Ingredients

• 125g butter at room temperature
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 medium sized egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 125g oats
• 100g dried apricots
• 50g pecan nuts
• 150g plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder

Equipment needed

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Teaspoon (5 ml)
• Chopping board for the apricots
• Sharp knife to cut the dried apricots
• Sieve for the flour
• Metal baking sheet
• Non-stick baking parchment
• Spatula
• Wire cooling rack

How to make pecan and apricot cookies

First, preheat the oven to 180^oC, 350^oF, gas mark 4.

Place 125g butter and 125g caster sugar into a large bowl and mix using a wooden spoon.

Add one egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence and mix together. Add 125g oats and mix again.

Sieve 150g plain flour (all purpose flour) into the bowl with the other ingredients and add 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder.

Chop 100g dried apricots and and break 50g pecans and add to the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix everything together with the wooden spoon.

Use your hands to form cookie shapes, around 3 cm (about 1.2") in diameter and place on a non-stick baking sheet on a metal oven tray. Leave a space of around 2 cm (about 0.75") between each cookie to allow room for expansion.

How to bake the cookies

Bake the cookies in the centre of the oven at 180^oC, 350^oF, gas mark 4 until the edges start to turn golden. The cookies will bake quickly and may be ready in around 10 minutes or so but check after 5 minutes, and again at regular intervals, to avoid overcooking. It is likely that you will need to bake in two or three batches depending on the size of your oven and the baking tray.

Remove the baked cookies from the oven and leave on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies will still be soft when they are taken out of the oven and will harden as they cool down.

Tips

1. Only use dried apricots. This recipe will not work with fresh apricots as they are too wet and will make the dough too soft.
2. Don't be tempted to leave the cookies in the oven for too long. They will be ready when the edges are a pale golden colour. They will still be pale and soft when they are ready to be taken out of the oven and will set as they cool down.
3. The dried apricots can be cut ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to make the cookies. Similarly, the pecans can be broken and stored in an airtight container until ready to use.
4. Apricot and pecan cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days, or can be frozen. They can be defrosted at room temperature or in a microwave using the defrost setting.
5. This cookie recipe is perfect for making in bulk and freezing to ensure a good supply of homemade cookies for the weeks ahead.