Oatmeal Molasses Cookies with Apricots

How did I come up with Oatmeal Molasses Cookies with Apricots? Awhile back, my friend Pam sent me a picture of some tarts she had purchased from a nearby bakery that they looked ridiculously good.  They were from the Blackmarket Bakery in the Camp. I finally made my way over there a couple of weeks ago.  Most everything inside the bakery looked delicious, but the one item I couldn’t pass up was their ‘Blackstrap Betty’, which is a chewy molasses cookie with chunks of dried apricot.

I wanted to take a shot at making them at home with my own special twist. Oats, I thought, might make my version even better because oats give the chewiness and texture I love. I found an oatmeal cookie recipe online that featured molasses and I replaced the run-of-the-mill raisins with chopped apricots.

The final product turned out yummy.  The molasses didn’t come through as much as I would have liked so they more closely resembled the Blackmarket version, but they were still very tasty.  I kept them in the oven for about 14 minutes, although the original recipe called for 10-12.  Mine were nowhere near even lightly brown at 10 minutes.  Even at 14 minutes, they were just lightly brown and still very moist and chewy cookies.

Next time, I would add some more spices, like some cinnamon and nutmeg to give it a spicier flavor.  This first experiment turned out well, so I will definitely save this oatmeal molasses cookie recipe as a base for future experiments.

Oatmeal Molasses Apricot Cookies

Adapted by Stacey Freeman from allrecipes.com for poshinprogress.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup shortening
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 tablespoons light molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup chopped apricots

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another large bowl, beat the sugar with the shortening until smooth and creamy; mix in beaten eggs, molasses, and vanilla.  Gradually stir in the dry ingredients.  Stir in the walnuts and apricots.
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet (I used parchment paper).
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly brown.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.