Apples in Autumn

I've just checked the date of my last posted recipe and can't believe that it was in February!  Now I know that I usually go a bit quiet on my kitchen blog through the summer months but I can't use the garden and summer sun as my excuses this year.  The summer has been dreadful and the garden has not drawn me in this season; so no excuses, just life!

So what's brought on this return to the kitchen; well, a belated birthday present, a few ripening apples on the trees and a(nother) dull and drizzly Sunday encouraged me to get the baking ingredients out.

From my new addition to the cookery bookshelf; Cake Days from the Hummingbird Bakery...

bit more cake than biscuit, but delicious none the less!

Apple and Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
135g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
80g light soft brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2tsp vanila essence
190g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 small or 1 large apple (I used 1 Cox's Orange Pippin from our tree in the garden)
60g rolled oats

Method
Preheat oven to 170C; gas mark 3 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla essence.  Sift together the dry ingredients and then add in 2 batches to the creamed mixture mixing thoroughly.

Peel and finely grate the apples and squeeze all of the liquid out of them and discard the liquid.  Add theoats and 60g of the grated apple to the cookie dough and mix together by hand.

Break of pieces of the dough (about 2 tablespoons in size) and roll into balls.  Place the balls about 3" apart on the baking trays.  Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.