Ginger Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Earlier this week I noticed that I was getting several new comments on my blog about Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies from people I didn't know -- most of them foodbloggers themselves. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it until one of them mentioned that the picture was one of the best she had seen on Tastespotting. I had never heard of the site before, but a quick google search turned up the ultimate food porn experience. The only thing on the site is pictures from around the food blogging world, linking back to the original site, and with a short comment. I'm not sure who did it, but somebody posted one of the pictures from my blog about the Peanut Butter cookies (thanks!)

I have to admit, the picture was pretty good -- too bad the recipe wasn't that great -- in fact, it was one of the few times I didn't even post the recipe with the blog since I was so disappointed in how it turned out. How's that for irony?

However, once I discovered Tastespotting, I now spend at least a few minutes of my day looking through the various pictures and checking out recipes. One recipe I saw last night was for a thick, hearty, chunky, oatmeal cookie that made me want to make it immediately. I still had the recipe stuck in my head today, so that's what I made.

According to the Cookworm, the original base recipe came from Baking Bites, but when I tried to find the recipe on Baking Bites I couldn't find anything that looked quite right. No big deal, Cookworm provided the recipe and I was happy to make it. My only change was to use dried apricots instead of peaches since I had some of those on hand.

The cookies bake up big and soft and chewy -- I used an icecream scoop and only got 11 cookies out of the small batch. The ginger flavor is quite strong while the apricot only comes through every now and again -- which is fine with me since I don't like apricot that much, but I do like ginger. I will say that this wasn't quite the cookie I was hoping for in terms of flavor -- I wanted something big and hearty like this, but with brown sugar and cinnamon flavors as well... guess I'll have to play with the recipe some. :)

Quite good if you like ginger, but if you're only so-so about the flavor, I would avoid these.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon mild honey or corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/3 cup chopped dried peaches
3-4 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Combine oats, peaches, and ginger in another small bowl. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add honey (or corn syrup), vanilla, and water, mixing thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Add oats, peaches, and ginger.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the parchment-lined sheet. Press down slightly on each cookie to flatten. You can also roll the dough in your hands to form balls, and then flatten them.

Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350ºF, until cookies are lightly golden. Cool 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.