I have no idea how older people do it. How do they eat dinner at 5 pm? Do they wake up at the crack of dawn? Maybe they go to bed at 8? I have no idea. I’ve now tried 2 times to eat dinner at 5 pm in order to have enough fuel to get me through a 7 o’clock soccer game while leaving myself enough digestion time so that I do not puke on the field.

I admit it feels indulgent and awesome to feast at such an early hour, but I am hungry again by 9 pm. The hunger sets in without fail and I am not one to ignore the imploring signals sent from my belly to my brain. I usually try to quell the pangs with a spot of cocoa. When this doesn’t work, I’m on to dry cereal. It’s not pretty. K found me sitting in a fuzzy robe with the stink of soccer on me the other night. I was on the couch with my hand in the cereal box. There were bits of Kashi all over the robe. (That stuff can be sort of sticky when you don’t use the requisite cutlery).

I think I have a solution to this embarrassing problem. I found a late night sweet. It’s the best kind of sweet because it’s not too sweet and it borders on healthy. Well, it’s not exactly healthy but it’s certainly the type of cookie you can give to someone who has some modest interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They’ll eat it. They will probably enjoy it too.

I first made this recipe by accident. I was trying to follow a Macrina recipe it to the letter, but I was distracted and, as usual, this lead to a reading lapse. It was a good lapse, however. It led me to several versions of the recipe until I found one that satisfies. I like this cookie very much. It’s perfect with an afternoon coffee, but even more ideal for a late night feeding frenzy when you’re hungry but simply cannot indulge in your 4th meal of the day.

Oatmeal, Apricot, & Pecan Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or baking mats and set aside. Cream the butter, honey, and brown sugar in a stand or electric mixer for 3-5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition, until totally incorporated. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix briefly.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in oatmeal, apricots, and pecans. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg, mixing until just combined.

Scoop the cookies onto the baking sheets using a tablespoon of dough per cookie. Flatten the dough slightly with your hand before baking. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just turning golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Source: Stone Buhr Flour Company