mmmmm...cookies

Ever since my little boo was born, I've had a craving for baked goods. Honestly, I need some tasty little teatime treat every day. Scones, cookies or cake are preferred. Nothing else seems to satisfy.

Fortunately, I like to bake, and sometimes the little boo's naptimes give me enough time to whip up a batch. And as an added plus, my lima bean loves to spend time in the kitchen helping to make cookies, so it's a great way for us to spend some fun time together. We've got him stirring dry ingredients at the moment. My dream is that someday he will look back on these moments with fondness and it will inspire him to continue cooking as well. We'll see how that turns out.

The photo above is for the latest batch of homemade chocolate chip with walnuts and dried apricots. Made exactly as the recipe specifies and you get moist chocolatey treats that draw you in again and again until you finish off the batch. I call it the "new cookie math": 16 cookies are eaten by three people over three days. Person A eats 3 cookies. Person B eats 4 cookies. Does that make person C the biggest cookie hog ever?

Guilty.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Apricots and Walnuts
Adapted from rebar: the modern cookbook

Makes 28-30 cookies

OFten we substitute (or augment) the dried apricots with dried cranberries. I will cut the amount of brown sugar and chocolate chips depending on how sweet and chocolatey I want them. I get the best results baking on a stoneware cookie tray from Pampered Chef, or using one of those silicone sheets with a regular tray. The bottoms are never ever burned...

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
**1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried apricots
1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raosted and chopped walnuts
**1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (a good kind)

** I often put less in. 1.5 cups of chocolate chips is ALOT of sugar...

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set aside a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (to prevent sticking). Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one ata time, blending each one in well before adding the next. Blend in the vanilla and set aside.

Using a food processor, pulse together the apricots with 1/2 cup flour. Chop them up fine and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add the wet mix and stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter on the cookie sheet, leaving room for spreading. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking. Cool on a wire rack.