
Anyone up for cookies?
I have to be stark-raving mad for baking in what’s rapidly getting to be a heatwave in this part of the world. But when my mother and I saw this fascinating little cookie recipe from a back issue of Martha Stewart Living, I just had to head to the kitchen and get to work ASAP. Fancy: an oatmeal cookie studded with white chocolate and dried apricots – evokes summer now, doesn’t it?
As it happened, I actually had some dried apricots in the pantry. However, I didn’t have enough to make up the seven-ounce measure called for in the recipe, so I threw in some dried mangoes to add a tropical touch and substituted a very nutty muesli for some of the oatmeal. Plus, I used Splenda rather than granulated white sugar since I was fresh out of the latter. The end result was a deliciously chewy cookie interspersed with tart fruit and crisp nuts. Oddly enough, despite the apparent richness lent by the white chocolate, these cookies made perfect snacks for this sultry afternoon.

These are perfect with a tall, icy glass of milk!
Chewy Apricot-Mango Cookies with White Chocolate
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup muesli
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated Splenda
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 4 ounces pecans, chopped
- 4 ounces dried apricots, chopped
- 4 ounces dried mangoes, chopped
Cream together the butter, Splenda, and brown sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and baking soda; mix till well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well-combined. Chill for about thirty minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees / Gas Mark 4. Line baking sheets with waxed paper or Silpat mats. Drop the chilled batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
Makes approximately forty cookies.