Apricot & White Choc Chip Biscuits
This recipe was born from my scalding hatred for those cookies that harbor those ugly little saltanans, rasins, whatever you want to call them… hiding in a delicious looking biscuit disguised as a chocolate chip.
Let me paint you a picture of how this dislike morphed itself into an intense, passionate hatred:
Think to yourself - You’re on a wonderful road trip with your family. You’ve spent hours on the road and the sun is starting to get low. You’re in that twilight zone in the late afternoon - “Is it too late for lunch? We’re all starving. I can’t decide if I feel like a pastie, coffee and cake or a giant plate of roast lamb with ample spoonfuls of carrots, potatoes and gravy at the pub.”
Behold - a cafe! You pull over, you’re stomach is about 3 steps in front of you already pressed up against the glass cabinet ordering 3 sausage rolls, 2 meat pies, a loaf of old bread because - why not? And a giant sausage roll. You notice that all the sweets are sold for the day. You’re devastated. You go to the counter. You’re practically throwing money at the cashier so that you can sprint back to the privacy of the car and stuff your face in the most inhumanly manner one ever did see. This is when you see them. A tray proudly displaying an arrangement of biscuits wrapped in GladWrap right next to the till. “$5.90..? Yes, I’ll be having 3 of them too.” Hallelujah.
Off you go, back to the car. You feel extremely proud that you managed to get to the cafe before those biscuits ran out. You’re making guttural noises at anyone who walks too close to your window while you’re nose deep into your 2nd meat pie.
Now it’s time. You’ve finished your first, second, third, fourth… Ok, so you’re feeling a little bloated at this point but it’s now finally time to rip open that GladWrap! You take a few moments to truly appreciate the moment you’re about to have. Then you take a bite… One chew, two chews…. two-and-a-half chews… Oh no… “SULTANAS?!”
Now, yes I know you’re all thinking “what’s there not to like about a sultana cookie?” Nothing, they’re okay and I’ve learnt to appreciate them for what they are but when your brain is expecting one thing and your mouth is telling you another. It’s horrifying experience! Not to mention, and be honest. If you were presented with a sultana biscuit vs a chocolate chip delight. Which would you choose?
Dramatic? - Yes. Could I just be more observant of the biscuit labels in the store? - Probably. This also allows me to put forward the very real and dangerous “hunger haze” argument. So I feel like biscuit labels are just not a suitable way of ensuring that this doesn’t happen again! If not to me, to anyone!
But do you see what I’m getting at? I hope so…
Moral of the story: Sultanas are sneaky and evil. Always be on your guard when they’re around. Make these cookies instead because if there were to be a sultana in there somewhere, there’s nowhere for him to hide!
Chunky Apricot & White Chocolate Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) plain white flour
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup (125g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 200g Turkish dried apricots - roughly chopped
- 125g white chocolate - roughly chopped
- 1 egg
- 150g butter - melted
- 50g extra white chocolate to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour and bicarb soda. To this, add the brown sugar, caster sugar, rolled oats, apricots and the white chocolate. Use a spatula to mix everything evenly together.
- To the dry mix, add the butter and the egg. Stir until the mixture comes together. It should be able to hold together when pressed into a ball, but not overly wet. If it's too dry, a tbsp of melted butter at a time until it comes together.
- Roll 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture into a ball. Place on the tray with a 5cm space between each. Flatten each biscuit with the flat bottom of a cup and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, repeat with the next tray.
- Allow biscuits to cool fully on the tray.
- Meanwhile, melt the garnishing chocolate gently in the microwave. Spoon into a Ziploc bag and snip a small opening in one of the corners to make a piping bag. Drizzle the melted chocolate across the top of the cooled biscuits.
- Enjoy with a beverage of your choice!
Notes
- Store biscuits in an airtight container for up to a week at a cool room temperature.
- They can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
- You can make smaller biscuits by only rolling 1 tbsp of mixture. Keep in mind they may only take 10 minutes to cook.