summer is for apricots and sunday birthday parties

Hands down my favorite fruit is a juicy ripe apricot and for some reason I feel like they always get lost in the shuffle of all the other exciting summer fruit. Well the other day while I was in Whole Foods I could not resist buying a full basket of beautiful fresh apricots (mostly because the basket was so darling). I have been trying to find a good apricot recipe to try my hand at baking with them. I am liking the looks of this apricot pie with coconut crumble, I will let you know how it goes. I am so thrilled for summer and fresh fruit to experiment with. Please tell me if you have other great apricot recipes for me to try.

Tonight was my friend Maggie's birthday party and my assignment was a plate of cookies. Her favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin (everyone is really loving oatmeal cookies these days) so I decided to try a new recipe I had found add some milk chocolate chips to it and see how they turned out.

finished product was pretty delicious!

a special bag for the birthday girl

and a perfect summer birthday party

{decorations and party by Jane and Egan Metcalf}

and satisfied party goers {Martin the raccoon}

This was a really good recipe that is easy to follow and quick to make. I supplemented chocolate chips for the pecans, but I am sure the pecans taste equally delicious. Bake these today, they will make you happy.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecans or chocolate chips {I am sure dark would taste so good}
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.
Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

{happy treat eating}