Mixed Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies

It has been some delightful and delicious months cooking the recipes of Ruth Reichl.  A true GOURMET experience!

Good-bye, Ruth Reichl.

Sigh.

This was my first go around with I Heart Cooking Clubs and I joined up because of Ruth.  Ruth is my hero.   I want to grow up to be Ruth.  I heart Ruth.  (For all my Ruth gushings, click here.)

For IHCC’s final theme, we could cook anything to celebrate the six months of cooking with her.  Ah, Ruth, it seems like only yesterday….

I decided the perfect swan song for the Ruth odyssey would be a cookie, but not just any cookie would do.  It had to be a delicious, homey cookie, one that reminded me of Ruth and her kitchen.  I baked the very first recipe I came to in Gourmet Today, Mixed Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies.

Mixed Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies

From Gourmet Today Cookbook

“It may seem heretical to make an oatmeal cookie without raisins, but you”ll never miss them after one bite of these moist cookies, loaded with dried apricots, prunes, and sour cherries.  The combination volleys between sweet and tart, all in a familiar context.”

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten lightly
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes
  • 1/2 cup dried sour cherries or dried cranberries (I used cranberries.)

Instructions

In a large bowl cream the butter with the brown sugar and beat in the egg, the baking soda mixture, the flour, the salt, and the vanilla. Stir in the oats, the apricots, the prunes, and the cherries and combine the dough well. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough about 4 inches apart onto greased baking sheets and with a fork dipped in cold water flatten and spread each mound into a thin round, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden, transfer them with a spatula to racks, and let them cool.

Cook’s Note:  The cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.

Yield: 20 large cookies

Cookies for Ruth.  Homey and comforting, just like her recipes and voice.

These are definitely my new favorite non-chocolate cookie.  The vanilla just complements the dried fruit.   You must try these, invite over a neighbor, brew a pot of tea, and enjoy these warm cookies.

 

Although I didn’t post up every week (as I initially vowed), here’s what Ruth and I cooked up for the IHCC odyssey.

Balsamic Grilled Pork Chops and Scalloped Butternut Squash

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Morning Glory Muffins

Cornmeal Cream Cheese Pancakes with Cranberry and Apricot Maple Syrup

Painless Pasta

Roasted Clementine Bruschetta

Lamb Chops with Baked Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Prosciutto

Diva of a Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup

“Paella” Fried Rice

 

Our Ruth days are over

.  What’s up next for I Heart Cooking Clubs?  Check it out here.

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