Chocolaty Apricots Recipes

Steps:

• Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and dried apricots.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop slightly mounded tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cookies until they are set and golden on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Cream the butter and brown sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl until smoothly blended.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring the mixture into a smooth dough.
• Add the apricots and white chocolate, stirring until the pieces are thoroughly dispersed.
• Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
• Let the cookies set on the sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring them with a spatula to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Melt and temper the chocolate (see pages 25-30).
• Hold an apricot half securely between your thumb and forefinger, and dip it halfway into the chocolate. Remove the apricot from the chocolate, gently shake off the excess chocolate, and place the apricot half on the paper. Repeat with the remaining apricot halves. Let the chocolate set up at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Between layers of waxed paper, in a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the apricot halves will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. They are best eaten at room temperature.
• VARIATIONS
• Substitute dried peaches or dried pears for the apricots. Dip these halfway into the chocolate on the diagonal for an interesting design.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
• Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, turbinado sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Stir the flour and baking soda into the butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips and apricots. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• For sponge:
• Boil apricot nectar in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour reduced nectar into large bowl. Cool to 120°F. to 125°F. Whisk in flour, sugar, milk powder and yeast. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free area until double in volume, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare dough:
• Generously butter 12-cup kugelhupf pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter with sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and egg yolks 1 at a time. Beat in apricot brandy, salt, vanilla and ginger. Combine yeast and 2 tablespoons hot water in small bowl and stir until yeast dissolves. Mix yeast mixture and sponge into butter mixture. Gradually mix in 3 cups flour. Combine chocolate, apricots, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Mix into dough.
• Spoon dough into prepared pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and clean kitchen towel. Let stand in warm draft-free area until dough rises just to top of pan, about 3 hours.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Bake kugelhupf until deep brown and cracking on top and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 48 minutes. Cool on rack 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Return to pan, cover tightly and store at room temperature.)
• For whipped cream:
• Stir chocolate and 2 tablespoons cream in heavy small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool. Beat remaining 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add brandy and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Pour chocolate mixture over cream and fold together until whipped cream is lightly streaked with chocolate. Transfer to serving bowl; chill. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead.)
• Place kugelhupf on platter. Lightly sift powdered sugar over. Cut into wedges. Serve, passing whipped cream separately if desired.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
• Add shortening; stir until blended.
• Dip apricots half-way in the chocolate, shake off excess, cool on waxed paper. Let chocolate set, then refrigerate.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas4/fan oven 160C. Lightly grease a 20cm/8in square shallow tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
• Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, orange zest, apricots and walnuts just until well combined. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the surface is slightly cracked. Leave in the tin to cool slightly before cutting into squares. Keeps moist for 2-3 days.