December, Day 5: Just under the wire

As a rule, I don't trust sweet recipes from anyone who is considerably thinner than myself. Giada De Laurentiis falls into this category, and while I think she knows how to cook just fine, I wonder why she doesn't eat a little more, sometimes. Anyway, this is all to explain why I was so surprised to discover one of my favorite cookie recipes is by her! Giada's Apricot and Nut cookies with Amaretto Icing (I need say no more, really - all the necessary words are there in the title!) are delicious, toothsome, and not too sweet. The fruity bits are sweet and chewy and the nuts provide a subtle crunch and ... nuttiness. Delicious. And amaretto icing. 'Nuff said, as the kids say these days.This year, I decided to mix it up a little bit and add some cranberries as well (as much because I like cranberries as because they were next to the apricots in the supermarket, if I'm honest). The extra little pop of color does no harm and the tanginess is not out of place next to the sweet apricots. Try this recipe. I added about 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries with the apricots, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I might slightly decrease the flour next time, as the cookies are not as tender as they could be. But all in all this is a winner of a recipe. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to chill. And trying not to eat them all.