I *wanted* this recipe to work so badly -- it looked like it would taste great, plus the name is too good to resist. I had great results with the apricot filling by pureeing the boiled apricot mixture and patting it on the bottom 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture with wet fingers. However, the oatmeal layers did not "cobble up" or "cookie-fy" (for want of a technical term) as I expected an oatmeal bar/cookie would. After baking, the entire oatmeal mixture was dry and crumbly and the bars fell apart like sawdust as soon as lifted out of the pan. I think if I made this recipe again, I would melt the butter with the brown sugar and boil it for a little while to carmelize it, then mix it with the flour and oatmeal. This would probably lend a more cohesive texture to the two oatmeal layers and make them somewhat chewy, but the cookie may or may not turn out as dear Beatrice intended.

I had a difficult time with these "cookies." When I cooked them, there was still too much moisture in them. I cooked them longer and it only helped a little bit. They never really solidified. Also, I would recommend that you use a food processor for the apricots or cut them into very small pieces, since larger pieces also make it a bit soggy.