Cookies for On and Off the Bike

During this time when most of us are spending our days at home, making a treat for yourself and your loved ones can bring some much needed comfort. We hope to share some of that comfort with you through this post.

Cookies are the best. Giving them, receiving them, baking them, and eating them — all of it. Here’s one of my favorite cookie recipes. If you make them, let us know how it goes and how you modified them to suit your taste.

I am fortunate to have a delightful friend (hi Nicole!) who gives boxes of assorted homemade cookies as a holiday gift. Among these cookies, my favorite is one with chunks of apricots and pine nuts and drizzled with icing - I am salivating just writing this. This year, I decided to ask her for the recipe. While I’m not a particularly good or frequent baker, I figured it was worth trying to make them myself. Why limit my enjoyment of these deliciously unique cookies to only once a year?!

I was surprised to learn how relatively simple the recipe was. I could whip these puppies up anytime! Why stop there - why not replace those expensive pre-packaged bars that inevitably go stale, with these fresh homemade preservative-free cookies?

Making ride food at home is not a new idea, of course, but I often lack the motivation to do it. This recipe, requiring a few basic ingredients and minimal active prep time, and yielding a FANCY LOOKING TREAT, not only motivates me to make them, but also to head out (or stay in) for a ride. Win win!

Here’s how to make them (Adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe)

Cookie Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I use light brown sugar)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Icing ingredients:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons of amaretto liquor or freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (can use any citrus)

Directions:

1. For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.

2. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

5. For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Very gradually mix in the liquid in small amounts, until the mixture is a viscous but drizzle-able consistency, then stop! You may not need all the liquid.

6. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

Special Notes (#protips):

• If you’re not able to source pre-toasted pine nuts & almonds, no sweat! Just spread them onto a baking sheet and do a quick toast in a toaster oven or regular oven. Be sure to watch them so they don’t burn!

• I don’t have an electric mixer, so I just hand mix everything with a fork & spatula - works just fine.

• The original recipe calls for Amaretto or some other liqueur. My preference is to use citrus juice, but feel free to experiment.

• The original recipe yields a lot of icing - more than you need for one batch of cookies. So, you can make less, or store the icing in an airtight container for future batches. The icing can also easily get too thin so be sure to mix the liquid in very slowly. If you end up with a too watery icing, chill the mixture for a bit and it should get more viscous.

• Be sure to cool the dough long enough before baking - this ensures it is firm enough for you to slice with a knife. If you’re impatient, you can still shape them with your fingers on the baking sheet.

• I like these cookies as squares - it makes them look fancier.

• Keep an eye out for humans or anipals who cohabitate with you - they’ll definitely be looking for an opportunity to steal a bite if you’re not paying attention.

• You can stick the dough log in your freezer for whenever you feel like baking a few of them.

• Just put a few in your jersey pocket and you’ve got some delicious enviable fuel for your next ride. Enjoy!