Chewy apricot and oat cookies

Gradually the mercury has been dipping and the evenings are getting longer crisper and mildly chilly in the morning and very pleasant too may I add as the day starts to unfold. It is time to dust our woollies that have been folded and tucked away in the chest with scattered aromatic moth balls. In no time winter will start screaming loud at our doors and it gets frightfully cold here with wind chill factor dropping the temperature to below freezing point. Residing just a few meters from the yellow sea, it is windy, moist and cold. I have always been longing to stay very close to a water body even though I originally come from the coastal state of Orissa, my current home to the edge of water is only a mere 300 meters & this is so much better than having to drive 40 Km to the beach back home.

Thankfully the view from our apartment is not obstructed by any high rise building and crystal clear sea beckons me every morning with bright sunshine penetrating our balcony. Life is getting better everyday meeting new people and exploring new things. When you move to a new place it always brings with it excitement and the unexpected. Any kind of information is a boon especially in a place where the medium of communication is Greek and Latin to me! Although this is my third year and by this time I should have picked up the local language to strike a decent conversation but am sorry to say that, I am still a novice and the many tones of the Chinese language still confuse me but all I can say is that I am the better communicator in my family of three.

My neighbors are kind and their body language and expression makes me feel comfortable and warm in my new home. Catching with up own folks over a lunch or a cup of tea does make my day. It is always great to catch up with people sailing in the same boat, sharing the same views and ideas. All I can say is it is adventurous or for a choice of a more politically correct word you can call it exciting!

Well coming back to my coveted place in my den, my pots, pan and oven have stopped oscillating and very well settled as have I. I have started my usual course of baking! With my pantry of overstocked dried apricots, I had no choice than to blend it with oats for a lovely and deliciously chewy cookie. With slight tweak of adding peanuts and crushed pistachios, these cookies are crunchy and nutritious.

Adapted from a lovely website Taste.

Ingredients

½ cup whole-wheat flour

½ cup plain flour

1 1 /2 cup rolled oats

1 cup chopped dried apricots

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 table spoon golden syrup

100 grams butter

1 ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Handful of nuts crushed of your choice

Method

Mix flour, oats, apricot, sugar, and nuts in a bowl. Place the golden syrup, bicarbonate of soda and 1/4 cup (60ml) boiling water in a bowl. Stir until well combined. Set aside for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the butter.

Add the golden syrup mix to the above dry ingredients and mix it well. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven at 160' C and line a tray with a non stick baking paper or sheet. Roll into 1 teaspoon sized ball and gently flatten it with a spatula. Sprinkle crushed pistachios (optional) and bake it for 15 to 18 minutes or until done. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cooled, store in an airtight container.