Lemon Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Apricots and Pecans

The following tasty cookies are another version of my earlier all-oats gluten-free cookies (find the recipe HERE).
This time, I decided to rely even more on both oats flour and rolled oats, instead of using nut meal in the dough. I chose to add a lemony flavor to the cookies, which worked well with the other additions, of chopped pecans and dried apricots.
The cookies can be baked to a chewy texture, or a bit longer, for crispier ones. Either way, they will delight anyone who loves oatmeal cookies and/or lemon cookies. The cookies’ texture is light and crumbly, and the fact that they are gluten-free, is an added bonus.
Another layer of flavor and aroma can be obtained by drizzling lemon icing and lemon zest on top. Try them and enjoy.

Makes: 30
Prep time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Baking time: 13 (chewy cookies) – 15 (crispy cookies)

Ingredients:
1 stick (115 grams) butter, soft
1 cup sugar
1 L egg
1 Tbs lemon zest
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup wholegrain fine oat flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp vanilla paste
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup roughly chopped pecans
¼ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
For the icing: (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
About 1 Tbs lemon juice
Lemon zest

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, egg, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the oats flour, rolled oats, baking powder, vanilla and salt and mix well to a soft dough.
Add the pecans and dried apricots and mix them in with a spatula. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F (175). Line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop about 30 balls and place on the lined pan, leaving room to expand.

4. Bake for about 13 minutes for chewy cookies or 15 minutes for crispy cookies. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes (as the cookies are quite soft when coming out of the oven), then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

5. The icing (optional): place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually mix in a few drops of lemon juice, to form a fairly thick paste. Drizzle over the cookies and scatter lemon zest on top.

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