Apricot Drops

These are the kind of drop cookies you can mix in one bowl and have on the cooling rack in under thirty minutes. Dried apricots are the star, chopped coarsely so each cookie has visible amber chunks instead of a uniform fruit speckle.

Orange juice and zest do quiet but important work. They wake up the dried apricots and keep the cookie from tasting one-note sweet. Brown sugar pulls in molasses depth that pairs with the tart fruit, and the small splash of oil keeps these soft and chewy rather than crisp.

The batter is loose by design. Dropped by teaspoonful, the cookies spread into thin discs with slightly cakey centers and lightly bronzed edges.

Kitchen Tips

• Use plump, soft dried apricots, the leathery dehydrated kind will stay tough through the bake.
• Soak the chopped apricots in the tablespoon of orange juice for ten minutes before adding them to the batter for an even more pronounced citrus-fruit flavor.
• Space the drops a full two inches apart, the cookies spread.
• Pull them when the edges are just lightly browned, the centers continue to set on the rack as they cool.

Variations

• Swap dried apricots for chopped dried cranberries or sour cherries for a different fruity tang.
• Add ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or pistachios for crunch.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with a simple orange-juice glaze (powdered sugar plus orange juice) for a dressier finish.