Oatmeal cookies- not just with raisins and cinnamon any more! Try these summer oatmeal honey apricot cookies for a fun twist on a classic recipe. Then, when the wind gets chillier and you feel October really coming on, try my spicy oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies.
Summer Oatmeal Honey Apricot Cookies
Yield: About 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Unsalted butter
1/4 cup Butter flavor shortening ***
3/4 cup Packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp Molasses
1/4 cup Honey
2 Large eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Baking soda
3 cups Old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups Chopped dried apricots
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter and shortening on medium until smooth. Beat in sugar, molasses and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beat until smooth. Add in vanilla.
2. In large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and oats. Slowly beat into butter mixture, in three additions. Add in chopped apricots and mix until well combined.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies (about 2 Tbsp a piece) onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are set. Remove from oven and allow to rest on pans for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool.
*** Why shortening and why butter flavor shortening?
I don't normally recommend using shortening in baking. However, with cookies, shortening does two things- it provides a very smooth texture and it increases the temperature at which the fats (the butter and shortening) in your cookies melt. This keeps your cookies from spreading too thin during baking and allows your cookies to stay chewy and soft.
I use butter flavor shortening to at least mimic the rich flavor of real butter since I'm using an otherwise flavorless, highly processed ingredient.
Don't worry, regular shortening will work too and if you only have butter and don't wish to use shortening, that's ok too. Just be prepared for a thinner cookie!
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