I consider myself more of a cook than a baker, but occasionally my baking experiments lead to a recipe that is worth sharing. These cookies more than make the grade — they’re really, really good. I’m ridiculously excited to share them with you.

This is not your basic batch of oatmeal cookies. I went for double coconut flavor, using both virgin coconut oil and shredded coconut. The sweet and tangy slab apricots are a great contrast to the rich and chewy dough, resulting in a great balance of flavors. I made the cookies nice and big, so one cookie will easily satisfy your sweet tooth. While the cookies are big, the recipe is fairly small, making a dozen cookies and requiring only one cookie sheet.

Parchment paper is a big help when you’re baking cookies. It is infallably nonstick, and so there’s hardly any cleanup. I have tried silpat baking sheets, but they are a pain to clean. Besides, parchment is so much more versatile — you can cut it to fit any baking vessel! It’s not very expensive, and a roll goes a long way. You can find it next to the aluminum foil and plastic wrap in the baking aisle of your grocery store, or at any cookware shop worth its salt.

As for the slab apricots, they might be a little bit harder to find, but they’re worth seeking out! They start out as extremely ripe Blenheim apricots, and they’re so delicate that they “slab” out on the drying rack, ending up flatter than traditional dried apricots. I buy mine at C J Olson‘s fruit stand in Sunnyvale, California, and they are always top notch — you can order them online if you don’t live nearby.

  • Yield: 12 large (3 1/4″ diameter) cookies
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 90 minutes
  • Active: 30 minutes

Ingredients (9)

  • 1/2 C. virgin coconut oil
  • 1/2 C. organic cane sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 C. rolled oats
  • 1/2 C. shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 C. slab apricots, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, stir the coconut oil and sugar until evenly mixed and no lumps of coconut oil remain.
  2. Add the egg, and stir to combine. Next, mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Fold in the oats, coconut, and apricots.
  4. Cut a piece of parchment paper about a foot wide. Put the cookie dough in the center of the parchment paper, and use your hands to form it into a log. Roll up the parchment paper, twist the ends tightly, and refrigerate for one hour.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough into twelve rounds, and place on baking sheet, spaced evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove from oven, and allow to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.