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Chocolate & Apricot Cookies Recipe from Macrina Bakery & Cafe

When Leslie Mackie was naming her bakery and cafe she liked the sound of “Macrina” and found that there was a fourth-century Greek mystic by that name who emphasized simplicity, self-sufficiency and communal living. Mackie’s down to-earth artisan breads and reliance on local ingredients mesh well with the philosophy of this earlier Macrina. And her generous sharing of recipes, both here and in her excellent cookbook, makes us feel even more at home in the delicious community she has created. Visit Macrina in Belltown, Upper Queen Anne, SODO or at www.macrinabakery.com. This recipe is reprinted with permission from Leslie Mackie’s Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook published by Sasquatch Books.

CHOCOLATE & APRICOT COOKIES

Makes 16 cookies

2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon finely ground espresso or coffee
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
¾ cup unsulfured dried apricots, diced
8 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and espresso in a medium bowl. Mix with a whisk until evenly
distributed. Add chocolate chips and apricot and mix well. Set aside.

Combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and pale in color. Add 1 egg at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then add the remaining egg and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until butter, sugar, eggs and
vanilla extract are all incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Mix on first speed for no more than 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and do a final mix with a rubber spatula. Remove mixture from bowl and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough with a medium-size ice cream scoop, rolling dough into 2-inch balls. Place 8 per baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Flatten balls with your palm, making them about ½ inch thick.

Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn the baking sheet after 4-6 minutes to help with even baking. Cookies should be golden brown around the edges and slightly soft in the center. Let cool. These cookies will stay nice for 3 days when stored in an airtight container!

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