Date Raisin Apricot Cookies

 

So on this night that I made three loaves of bread, I was feeling especially creative. I had recently bought some dates from the store and was itching to use them. I started looking up recipes, and flipping through food magazines and cook books to see what recipes I could find that included dates. I wasn’t really finding a lot of “simple” things, after all, I’d already baked 3 loaves of bread and it was nearing 10 o’clock at night. I knew that Tom would be home in about an hour. Finally fed up with what I was finding, I decided to come up with my own on-the-spot cookie. “How hard could it be?”, I thought. I’ve made cookies since I was a child, most cookie recipes have basically the same sort of base. So I started making my little “date” cookies, and then suddenly I thought to add raisins to it, and then what about apricots? And soon the spices and creativity were flowing through my blood, and Viola! One of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! 🙂 I often bring my cookies and treats to my work place, just to let people help me and Tom eat some of the goodies I make. Though I live in Chicagoland, there are still a lot of people who are reticent to new or “exotic” groupings of food. I even had a friend say “I would not normally try THAT combination…. but since you made it, I’m going to be open minded and give it a try” 🙂 and to her delighted surprise, she loved them! 🙂 I always have delight in “beating” people’s food dislikes. My husband has often gone on about different foods he didn’t like, and at about maybe a 98% success rate on my part, I’ve been able to convert him over on most of them. 🙂 

 

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 vegetable shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp black strap molasses
• 2 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together butter, shortening, and brown sugar. Mix until smooth and without lumps. Add molasses, vanilla and eggs. Beat by hand in bowl until sugars start to dissolve. Add dates, raisins and dried apricots. In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, flour, and baking soda. Slowly add dry mixture to wet, mix well. Add rolled oats.

 

On a non-stick baking sheet, drop cookies, being sure to make them uniform size. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly browned on tips. Release from pan and cool on rack. Enjoy!