I decided to name these biscuits, rather than cookies, because they are based on Anzac biscuits, the crunchy, oaty, eggless Aussie favorite. The biscuits are a favorite of mine, too, as I love anything that is full of oats. Niki has a good, standard recipe, full of oats and dessicated (shredded) coconut.
The biscuits I made lack the coconut that is typical of Anzac biscuits and have a bit of a twist, if the form of dried apricots and minced candied ginger. There isn’t a huge amount of either of them, but enough to make a distinct showing in the cookie. The sweetness of the apricot really matches well with the candied ginger. I used Ginger Chips made by the Ginger People, which means that I didn’t have to mince any of the ginger myself, but I think it’s an advantage to have small pieces that are well distributed throughout the dough.
Buttery, crunchy and oaty, these biscuits have, in my opinion, a fabulous flavor profile, accentuated with sweet apricots, ginger and a hint of vanilla. They are easy to make and, because they are eggless, cholesterol free, if you keep track of that sort of thing. They are also easily made vegan, by using non-hydrogenated margerine in place of the butter.
Store in an airtight container, because they will keep for a while – assuming that the batch lasts more than a day or two in the cookie jar.
Apricot Ginger Oat Biscuits
¼ cup butter, soft
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup (or golden syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
6 tbsp diced, dried apricots
2 tbsp minced candied ginger (or ginger chips)
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add corn syrup (or golden syrup), vanilla and water and mix until fully incorporated.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in oats, apricots and ginger.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Press down slightly on each cookie to flatten.
Bake for 13-16 minutes at 350F, until cookies are golden all over, not just on the edges.
Cool on baking sheet, before removing to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 2 dozen.
The Cookbook Junkie
January 18, 2006Yummy! One of my co-workers was recently asking me if I knew of any eggless cookie recipes. I’ll have to pass this along to her.
I ordered a ton of ginger candy from the Ginger People when I was pregnant, in case I had any morning sickness. I didn’t really have any ms and my husband ended up eating all the candy.
rokh
January 18, 2006thanks always for great and simple recipes. i have tagged you for a meme. hope you don’t mind. feel free to decide whether to take it up or not.
Joe
January 18, 2006Big fan of ginger! Although I don’t mind chopping it myself, I bet the chips come in handy! Cookies look excellent Nic!
Niki
January 19, 2006Oooh nice. It’s a good time for ginger down here at the moment. High summer…it’s going to be 41c on Sunday! Nightmare!
Emily
January 23, 2006Nic, I made these last night, and they are super fabulous! I’m not a big candied ginger fan, so I left that out. These are like the perfect oatmeal cookie, not too sweet, just a hint of salt, and that lovely twist of apricot. Love them. Thanks!
Julie Ong
March 22, 2006I like your blog. It’s pretty inspiring! I have one question…I usually bake cookies using the creaming method. But I recently tried making cookies by melting the butter and adding golden syrup and these cookies have turned out rather chewy. Is it that the melting method will usually turn out chewy cookies? Any tips?
Nic
March 22, 2006Julie – These cookies will turn out crisp if you bake them longer, but they will always be slightly chewy in the center because of the fact that the golden syrup (or corn syrup) attracts moisture and will keep the cookie “fresh” seeming over time. In this case, it has nothing to do with melting vs. creaming butter.