Zesty oaty cookies + the book I have finished reading

It took me a while to start reading "Gone Girl" but when I did I found it impossible to put the book down: I’d be reading it every chance I got, even if it was for five minutes while waiting for the elevator. I got seriously hooked on Gillian Flynn’s story and how well written it is. While reading the book I kept thinking of how perfect Rosamund Pike is for playing Amy and how wrong Ben Affleck is for the movie – I might have liked “Argo” a lot, but I don’t think he can pull the part of Nick Dunne off – or Bruce Wayne, for that matter. :S

If you, like me, are diehard fans of the amazing Millennium trilogy and are looking for a book that will keep you up till 3 in the morning go ahead and give “Gone Girl” a try. And if you like baking like I do and not a weekend goes by without you making a cake take a look at Amber Rose’s beautiful book – I have tried several recipes from her and the results were always a hit, like these soft oaty cookies, packed with citrus zest and spices – I take them as a more delicious and healthier version of granola bars.

Zesty oaty cookies
slightly adapted from the absolutely gorgeous Love, Bake, Nourish (I bought mine here)

220g unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
90g all purpose flour
150g honey
70g demerara sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
finely grated zest of 1 orange
70g golden raisins
80g dried apricots, finely chopped
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
140g rolled oats

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, then scrape the side of the bowl. If the mixture looks curdled, beat in 1-2 tablespoons of the flour, then beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Gently fold in the rest of the flour along with all the other ingredients – do not overmix; the dough will be soft. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Roll 2 leveled tablespoons of dough per cookie into balls and place 5cm apart onto prepared baking sheets. Press each ball slightly with the back of a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.

Makes about 25