Do you need a quick and easy Christmas cookie that tastes as well as looks good? And one that won't leave you with a permanent sugar high? How about one that you can make in about 20 minutes? Apricot-Almond-Oatmeal Cookies are incredibly good, and, although not "health food," they aren't too bad for you as far as Christmas cookies go. The cookies are crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the centers. Apricots provide sweetness as well as tang, and almonds give the cookies extra crunch. The oatmeal binds everything together and helps with the texture of the cookies. No, these cookies don't have little elves dancing across them, but they do look and smell almost magical when you remove them from the air fryer. Although the recipe makes only about a dozen cookies, you'll want more, because they are incredibly good. The good news is that you can have more in minutes, because the recipe is easy to make, and the air fryer bakes a few cookies in about 10 minutes. That said, to limit temptation, I usually bake only half a dozen or so at a time (I do share some with my husband!) and stash the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator to make another day. With the ready-made dough, I can have fresh, hot cookies almost at will. Yum!
Air Fryer Apricot-Almond-Oatmeal Cookies -- Makes about 12
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
1/3 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of quick oats
1/4 cup of chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup of chopped almonds (preferably toasted, but if you don't the world won't end)
Cut small squares of baking parchment large enough to fit in your air fryer basket. In a medium bowl or measure (I use a Pyrex quart measure), combine the butter, oil, sugars, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Stir them together well until they are thoroughly blended. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and oats until blended. Fold in the apricots and almonds. Drop several 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds on each parchment sheet, spacing the cookies about an inch and a half apart (or as close to that as you can get, depending on your air fryer). Put one of the cookie dough covered parchment sheets into your air fryer basket, set the temperature at 320 degrees, and cook the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden and just barely set. Remove the cookies to cool and put another parchment sheet with cookie dough into the air fryer basket, repeating the cooking process until you have as many cookies as you want/need. Wrap any dough you don't bake with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough to bake another day.
