1960s Recipes + Menus

September 1966

ADAPTED FROM MRS. HYMAN CHERENSON, DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

We have a particular fondness for cookies that are actually other things in disguise. These chews are little apricot tarts with a lot less fuss and fanfare. The recipe employs dried fruit, so you don’t have to wait until apricots are in season to enjoy their tart sweetness. Use a food processor to purée the apricots, and be sure to line the pan with parchment or wax paper.

This is just one of Gourmet’s Favorite Cookies: 1941-2008. Although we’ve retested the recipes, in the interest of authenticity we’ve left them unchanged: The instructions below are still exactly as they were originally printed.

Melt 3/4 cup butter, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups each of flour and oatmeal, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and press half the mixture into a greased baking pan about 9 inches square. In a saucepan, simmer 3/4 pound dried apricots with 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar for 30 minutes, or until the apricots are soft. Add 1 tablespoon apricot liqueur after the mixture has been cooking for 20 minutes. Spoon the apricots over the crumb mixture in the baking pan, sprinkle them with 1/4 cup grated coconut, if desired, and cover them with the rest of the crumbs. Bake the mixture in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden. Cut the mixture into squares while it is still warm and turn out the chews from the pan when they are cold and set.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes