After writing my post about steel cut oats I couldn’t stop thinking about oatmeal cookies. Do you ever have one of those cravings that just will not go away? I didn’t want another type of cookie, no chocolate chip, no shortbread, no brownies either. I was totally and completely craving special oatmeal cookies! So guess what I did? I made some.
I didn’t have any raisins on hand but I did possess a fresh bag of organic, unsulfured Turkish apricots. These sweet little gems look nothing like the bright golden apricots we are accustomed to finding in the super markets. They are rather the color of molasses and not too pretty, but boy are they tasty. Pecans might be my favorite “go to” nut for cookies so I always keep a bag full on hand. That was all I needed except one more thing – a special spice. My mind kept focusing on Chinese Five Spice. We happen to carry that at the Savory Spice Shop where I work a few hours a week. I swung by and picked up a new bottle of this interesting spice.
If you aren’t familiar with Chinese Five Spice it is a wonderful spice to play with in cooking and baking. Chinese cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, cloves, ginger and black pepper are the stars of this spice blend. All perfect for a batch of special oatmeal cookies. You’ll notice I threw in a little extra cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg too. Spicy, sweet, chewy and exactly what I needed to halt my crazy craving for oatmeal cookies. You might have noticed they don’t appear to be a regular oatmeal cookie – that’s because they are special. They get their lovely toasty brown appearance from the addition of molasses and brown sugar.
Now that that is taken care of, I’m off to visit my oldest daughter LuLu and her hubby in their new home – Napa, California. She is a wine lover like me so I’m thinking we might be obliged to hit a few wineries during my visit. I plan on documenting my travels with my shiny new camera and will share with you upon my return. Be on the lookout for a travel post all about the food and wines of Napa, Cali!
Now go bake some cookies!
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 stick softened butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice
- 2/3 cup chopped unsulfured apricots
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line 2 sturdy baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Chinese Five Spice and stir to combine. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, both sugars, molasses and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and blend until just barely incorporated.
- Blend in apricots and pecans by hand until distributed throughout.
- Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies set for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
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