My favorite recipes, and always the ones that are the most popular on my blog, are the old ones that date back to my grandmother’s and mother’s time. They were great cooks and I have several recipe files full of many of my family’s favorites. The most popular source for recipes and food trends in the 1950’s to the turn of the century was the FoodDay Section of our local Portland Oregonian. Every Thursday it was chock full of recipes and there are dozens and dozens of the ones my mother cut out and saved in these files. Every so often I sift through them and pick one or two for my week’s menus. One of my choices for last week was Blue Ribbon Oatmeal Cookies.
This delicious oatmeal cookie recipe…the kind that has buttery, crispy edges and a nice soft center, was a blue ribbon winner at the Oregon State Fair in the early 1990’s. It was a surprising change from the classic oatmeal cookie because it called for white chocolate chips instead of dark, chopped apricots instead of raisins and hazelnut in place of walnuts. The fancy holidaycookies that we all over indulged in last month are great, but this is the best everyday cookie that fits into everybody’s lunch box or back pack. I like them best with my first cup of coffee in the morning. If you have followed my blog for any length of time you may have noticed that I use a lot of hazelnuts in my baking. The reason is that I live in one of the two great hazelnut growing areas in the world. Oregon produces 99% of the United States’ hazelnut crop, second only to Turkey in world production.
Here is a little hazelnut trivia for you in case you are ever on Jeopardy and “Nuts” is one of the categories. I think we all should add more of these healthful nuts to our diets. Move over almonds.
Hazelnuts have no Cholesterol. Even though 80 percent of the hazelnut’s calories come from fat, this is a monounsaturated fat or a healthy fat which carries essential fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants (vitamins D, E, and K). These fats are vital for healthy skin, hair, and growth. They help control blood pressure and prevent blood clotting (the major cause of strokes and heart attacks). Hazelnuts are a natural source of phytoestrogens flavinoids, and isoflavones. Their high folate levels prevent birth defects. Because of their high fat content hazelnuts are best stored in the refrigerator.
- 1 cup butter (The original recipe called for vegetable shortening)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
- 1 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried apricots, diced
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl mix shortening (or butter), sugars, eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into dough. Stir this into the butter mixture. Stir in oatmeal and nuts.
- Toss apricots with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour, Stir into dough along with the white chocolate chips.
- Shape dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and place 2-3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake 11-13 minutes until slightly moist in the center and just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool.
I want some of these in my lunchbox! They look so good- I love the flavors of the add-ins. 🙂
Betty recently posted..Scandinavian Almond Bars
I love an old fashioned cookie too. These look scrumptious!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes recently posted..Kung Pao Chicken
Gosh, these look scrumptious, Cathy! I love the “old” recipes the best, too. I think I might have everything on hand to whip up a batch of these today.
Thanks for the education on hazelnuts…I knew none of it!! I always learn something from stopping by your beautiful blog. Great photos, BTW…pretty mint green towel background & gorgeous lighting. I know how much effort goes into trying to get a great shot & you succeeded beautifully.
Rettabug recently posted..My Big Brother
What a great looking cookie. No wonder it won the Blue Ribbon. Thanks for the trivia on hazelnuts. I know virtually nothing about them and find they are hard to find in store here for some reason. You are so fortunate to have your mother and grandmother’s recipes. Mine never wrote anything down….
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Crustless Onion Quiche with a Provencal Twist
Those are some great looking cookies Cathy
Larry recently posted..2015 Florida Trip – Day 18 – The Beach & Quesajitas
The old passed down recipes are always the best. Don’t get any better than that. Oatmeal are my own favorite to make. I love them.
I love baking cookies and offering cookies..These look so good!Thanks Cathy.
Monique recently posted..Indian Red Lentil Soup~And Dorie’s Double Chocolate Marble Cake~
I guess we were both wanting the comfort of a good oatmeal cookie, Cathy! This version sounds lovely with the dried apricots and white chocolate. Thanks for the info on hazelnuts, too. Happy Baking!
Kitty recently posted..Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love oatmeal cookies, but it’s been too long since I’ve many some! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Julia @ Swirls and Spice recently posted..Very Vanilla Pear Bread
I just took some oatmeal cookies out of the oven. Wish. Had seen this recipe before I just used the one on the side of the oatmeal box!
Debra recently posted..Gifting Granola
I love making and eating (of course!) oatmeal cookies! Glad to have a new, blue ribbon recipe to try!
You can’t imagine how happy my hubby will be when I put these cookies in front of him!!
Linda recently posted..Remembering
It looks scrumptious! Try the recipe with dark chocolate chips, hazelnuts and dried cherries. That is a great cookie combination!
They look so good, Cathy! I know why they won a blue ribbon just by looking at them. They were ahead of their time with the hazelnuts on dried apricots. I honestly didn’t know that Oregon produced such a huge percentage of the hazelnut crop! I love hazelnuts and almost any other nut can you mention. A light lunch for me can be a handful of raw nuts and an apple.
Susan recently posted..The Greatest Oatmeal Streusel Muffins
Oatmeal Cookies are definitely a family fave, here! I’ve never made them with hazelnuts & apricots. Your cookies look so yummy!
~Judy
JG recently posted..“Mass Moments” – January 23, 1800
First, I’m impressed with how you got those top two cookies to balance so well. Ta-da! I love oatmeal cookies, with pecans and I also love chewy raisins. These add-ins are a great idea, especially since I love white chocolate. Pinning!
Foodiewife recently posted..The Best Vegetarian Chili – Thick and Hearty and Healthy!
I have got to try these Cathy! I love apricots and ANY kind of chocolate:)
Blessings, Aimee
I love how different these are than the usual oatmeal cookies!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) recently posted..Pepper Jack Macaroni and Cheese
Oh my these sound so good…I just printed the recipe and now is the perfect time to make them…we are up to our necks in snow here in New England and this would sure hit the spot with a cup of tea after some shoveling…Thank you for sharing…