Spiced shortbread cookies with pecans and apricots

Spiced shortbread cookies with pecans and apricots
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15 cookies
This recipe makes an easy-to-prepare roll of shortbread dough that can be taken out of the freezer and sliced into ready-to-bake cookies at any moment. Whether it's for a last-minute visit from family or a late-night craving, having an extra batch of this spicy, pecan-packed cookie dough around always comes in handy. It also makes a great gourmet gift: just wrap it up and jot the ingredients down on a cute label. Our organic dried apricots are preservative and sulfite-free, which is why they're a rich brown color instead of bright orange. They're sweet, juicy and super soft, making them an excellent addition to your recipes as well as a great snack. In this recipe, they can be swapped out with our dried figs for an equally delicious variation.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup PRANA organic fair trade cane sugar
- ¼ cup semi-solid PRANA organic coconut oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp organic fair trade ground Ceylon true cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 6 tbsp almond milk
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cups spelt flour or flour of your choice
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- ¼ cup PRANA organic raw pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup PRANA organic pitted apricots, chopped
Preparation
- In a bowl, mix cane sugar with coconut oil until creamy. Add vanilla and spices, mixing well.
- Mix ½ cup of flour with baking powder and salt. Add to sugar-oil mix and stir. Gradually add in almond milk, mixing as you go.
- Add the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a bit of water or almond milk. If it's too moist, add a little flour.
- Mix in pecans and apricots.
- Roll dough into a log and wrap in plastic film. Freeze 30 minutes. At this point, you can take the dough out and bake it, or keep it frozen for future use.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Remove cookie dough from freezer, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, and arrange on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake 19 to 20 minutes. Turn cookies halfway through baking time so that both sides brown.
- Let cool completely and enjoy!