Holiday season is coming fast!
Somehow, we’re in November, and the holiday season is upon us! In the US, of course, Thanksgiving comes first, then we start getting ready for Christmas after Black Friday. In Europe, the build-up to Christmas is in full swing. Here in Birmingham in the UK, the Christmas markets opened at the start of November, so you can already feel the festive spirit throughout the city center. Regardless of which holiday comes first for you, the holiday season can only mean one thing: good food. Whether we’re talking a Friendsgiving with your closest buddies or Christmas Day with the family, everything revolves around food. And maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who’ll be doing a cookie swap with your loved ones during the coming weeks and months? Well, if you’re looking for a delicious and easy dessert recipe for any of those occasions, keep on reading for today’s recipe.
Today’s recipe
A delicious dessert, easy to share, super simple to bake with common kitchen tools and appliances, and an American classic…what comes to mind? If you said cookies, you’re right! But this is a slightly fancier version than a classic chocolate chip, making it a great option to bring to a holiday gathering. The base of the cookie is a nice vanilla and almond flavored dough, then you add to it a decent amount of chopped dried apricots, white chocolate chips, and chopped almonds. The result is a tender cookie with great texture from the apricots, bursts of sweetness from the chocolate, beautiful flavor from the almond, and just an all-around winner.
Dried fruit and nuts – the perfect combo?
Now, there’s no doubt that chocolate is a favorite addition to cookie dough, and we obviously had to incorporate it into this cookie. However, I have to say that it truly is the apricots and almonds that make this cookie what it is. If you’ve ever been to the UK and tried a Cadbury’s fruit and nut chocolate bar, you’ll know exactly what I’m saying here. If that’s not your cup of tea, I don’t know how to help you see that you’re wrong! The combination is perfection. The dried fruit adds tartness and chewiness, the chocolate is sweet, creamy, and rich, and the nuts are crunchy and fatty, all combining to give you delicious chocolate. This cookie does the same, while also incorporating flavors that really complement each other – the sweet and strong almond with the mild and creamy white chocolate and the tart and sharp apricot.
Ingredients you’ll need
For this recipe, you’ll need to start with some softened butter, unsalted or salted will both work but just adjust the salt you add to the dough accordingly. You could use vegan alternatives, margarine, or shortening. Then, you’ll need both white and brown sugar. We wouldn’t recommend substitutions here, as both play their part in giving the cookies their flavor and texture, but you can always experiment. You’ll need an egg and an egg yolk – this gives the dough a more tender and creamy texture when baked. Vanilla and almond extract help flavor the dough. For the dry ingredients, you need almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The add-ins are obvious: dried apricots, chopped almonds, and white chocolate chips. You can substitute these for other types of dried fruits and chocolate if you like, or check out our recipe for cherry and dark chocolate cookies here.
How to make our Apricot and Almond Cookies
These are tender and cakier cookies, as we don’t use melted butter but softened butter instead. We start by creaming the softened butter and the two sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to whisk together. Combine the dry ingredients separately, then add them to the wet and fold until no dry spots remain. Add the chopped apricots, almonds, and white chocolate, but reserve some for the tops of the cookies. Shape the dough into even-sized balls, either using a dough scoop or just a spoon, and put them on a lined baking sheet. Top with the extra cherries and chocolate that you reserved to make them look pretty. Bake for 10-12 minutes – keep an eye on them! – and take them out. Let them briefly cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Apricot, Almond, and White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 grams butter, softened
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 75 grams brown sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 50 grams almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 grams chopped dried apricots
- 200 grams white chocolate chips (or a chopped up bar of chocolate)
- 100 grams chopped almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. You can do this in a stand mixer, with an electric whisk, or by hand. In a stand mixer, we use the paddle attachment.
- Add the (room temp!!) egg and egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla extract and mix again until well combined, smooth, and fluffy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to get everything to mix evenly.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. We like to whisk this together so there are no lumps and the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, and mix this until no dry floury spots remain. It should form a thick cookie dough.
- Finally, add nearly all of the apricots, almonds, and white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate) and mix together again until they're well distributed. Reserve a few of each so you can put them on top of each cookie before they make – this is what makes them picture-perfect! If mixing this with a machine, you can use a spatula to help distribute the mix-ins more evenly.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape the dough into about 20 equal-sized balls, placing 6-8 on each baking sheet and topping with the leftover apricots, almonds, and white chocolate. You'll need to do them in batches to bake all 20, or you can freeze the cookie dough balls at this stage to bake at a later time.
- Bake for 10 minutes and check them – they may need a few minutes more, or even a minute less, depending on your oven. They should be a nice golden brown color around the edges, and even though they may seem very soft in the middle, they will set as they cool and give a great chewy texture!
- Remember, cookies continue to bake and set on the baking sheet once you take them out of the oven, so leave them on the sheet for a few minutes before you remove them to cool on a wire rack. This helps them keep their shape.
- Enjoy!
