With graduation season just around the corner, we’ve come up with the cookies for a tasty gift basket your graduate can enjoy.

Since it’s also the season to give metallic balloons, Hawaiian Electric reminds everyone to attach a heavy weight to the end of the balloon string and be sure the string is tied securely to the balloon at the sealing point. These precautions will prevent a loose balloon from flying into electric lines and causing a power outage.

FURIKAKE ARARE COOKIES
Courtesy Marla Miyamura

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup nori kome furikake (look for a brand that has more nori and fewer sesame seeds)
1-1/2 cup mini yakko arare (any type, but pieces larger than mini yakko should be crushed)
Additional mini yakko for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy (2 to 3 minutes). Add vanilla; mix again. Add flour mixture in two batches, and mix until dough starts to come together. Do not overmix. Stir in furikake and arare until evenly distributed.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator about 20 minutes. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons or small scoop onto baking sheet, then flatten slightly. Garnish center of each cookie with single mini yakko, if desired.

Bake 15 to18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen.

Approximate nutritional information, per cookie: 140 calories, 7 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 6 g sugar, 1 g protein

COCOA KRISPY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Courtesy Ruthie Makai

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3-1/2 cups chocolate crispy cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with hand-held mixer on medium-low for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is incorporated. Slowly add flour, baking soda and salt, beating on medium until combined.

With rubber spatula, mix in chocolate chips. Pour cereal into a bowl and set aside. Scoop dough with a teaspoon (or small ice cream scooper) and roll into a ball about an inch in diameter. Roll in cereal until cookie is well covered and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Place sheet of waxed paper on top of cookies and flatten balls slightly using a flat surface such as the bottom of a cup or canned good. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 3 dozen.

Note: If dough is too soft to handle, refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes until firm. You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze; thaw when ready to bake.

Approximate nutritional information, per cookie: 140 calories, 7 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 6 g sugar, 1 g protein

APRICOT BARS
Courtesy June Hirayama

1-1/3 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2-2/3 cups flour, divided
1 cup chilled butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan; set aside. Rinse apricots, place into small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes. Drain, cool and chop apricots; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and 2 cups of flour; cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add remaining 2/3 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Stir in nuts, if using, and apricots. Spread mixture over cooled crust and bake about 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 36 bars.

Approximate nutritional information, per bar (without nuts): 160 calories, 6 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 2 g protein

———

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at www.heco.com.