Dried apricots are one of my go-to dried fruits for cookies. According to the websites I visited, there are many benefits to eating dried apricots. The first website is from Holland&Barrett, giving 10 health benefits of dried apricots. The other is called niftybenifits; both websites have minimal ads and are easy to read.
I added a couple of spices to this cookie giving them a warm allspice undertone which says to me this is a two cookie reach into the cookie jar, not just one cookie.
Ingredients you will need!
- ½ cup Unsalted butter
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- 8 ounces Mascarpone
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs Room temperature
- 2 Tablespoon Orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
- 2-½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Dried apricot
- ½ cup Hazelnuts chopped
How to Make These Apricot Cookies!
Prepare
First, I prepare the dried apricots. A sharp knife helps make fast work of cutting up the apricots.
Next, I zest the orange. Again, you only want to take your zester over the same spot once or twice; the white layer tends to be bitter.
Weigh or measure all the dry ingredients and run a whisk through to blend.
Mix
Mix the softened butter with the white and light brown sugars. I mix on a medium speed if the butter is soft. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes. (Tip! if your butter is cold and hard, start on a low-speed setting)
Next, you want to add the mascarpone and mix until blended into the sugar and butter. Now scrape down the bowl and add the orange juice, orange zest, and mix for about a minute. Next, add 1 egg at a time and mix until you do not see any egg, about 1 minute. Finally, add the cut-up apricots and the hazelnuts and mix for 30 seconds. Take the bowl off the stand and scrape down the sides and across the bottom.
Now you want to fold the flour into the wet cookie dough. Why you ask?
Fold in the Flour
Mascarpone is a soft cheese. As a result, I have found that if you fold in the flour for these cookies, they do not go flat when baked. So, you can be the judge and either add the dry flour using your mixer or fold the flour into the wet cookie dough and see if it makes a difference.
A secret for folding in flour is to get a one-piece spatula. These one-piece spatulas are worth their weight in gold. I also use my dining table to make the folding easier since it is lower than my counter. Take care to scrape along the bottom to make sure you have incorporated all the flour.
Chill
Next, cover the mixer bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Bake
Using a medium-size cookie scooper, I scoop 12 cookie mounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes. If I see the bottom edges starting to brown, it should be close to being finished and ready to pull out of the oven.
Move the baked cookies to a cooling rack. Then let the family know the cookies are out of the oven!
I hope you enjoy them!
Storage
These are easy to store in any container with a lid that seals. The cookies will last for 5 - 7 days before the edges get hard.
Other Cookies to Try
Carmel and Cinnamon with Pecan Cookies
Apricot With Orange and Hazelnut Cookies
Barbara Hall
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted butter Room temperature
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- 8 ounces Mascarpone Room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs Room temperature
- 2 Tablespoon Orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
- 2-½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Dried apricot cut up
- ½ cup Hazelnuts chopped
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars and set them aside. Next, weigh or measure into a bowl the flour, salt, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and run a whisk through to blend. Next, take a sharp knife, cut the dried apricots into small pieces, and set them aside. Next, zest an orange into a small bowl. Finally, cut the orange in half and juice into a separate bowl.
- In a mixer bowl, add the butter and sugars. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes on your mixer's medium-speed setting. Next, add the mascarpone, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla extract, and mix for 2 minutes until the mascarpone blends into the butter-sugar mixture. Next, add one egg at a time till mixed. Scrape down the side and mix for another 30 seconds. Finally, add the cut-up apricot and chopped hazelnuts and blend them through. Pull the bowl off the stand.
- Grab a solid one-piece spatula and fold the flour mixture into the wet cookie dough. Make sure to scrape along the bottom to get all the flour. I use my dining table instead of my counter since it is lower to the ground. I find this method easier. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Bake at 350° for 13-15 minutes. Move the cookies to a cooling rack when they come out of the oven. Enjoy!
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