Cranberry cookies

As we've seen, I like adding cranberries to things they're not normally in. We were discussing baking cookies, and I have a jar of dried cranberries which we discussed putting in. I was against the motion—these particular cranberries were over-sweetened (dried, unsweetened cranberries would be nice, but these were really sickly sweet)—and suggested fresh cranberries. Which I was out of.

Over the river and through the woods and off to the grocery we go. I returned with cranberries and used them instead of chocolate chips in tollhouse cookies. (You can also use them in addition to chocolate chips, which is not frowned upon, especially if you use dark chocolate which balances the cranberry flavor well.) The recipe is a normal tollhouse cookie recipe (feel free to use your own) but with a few minor changes. You'll use:

The berries won't stir in that well.
That's why the good lord gave you
hands. It's more fun, too.

• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 C butter (softened)
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 3/4 C white sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 C cranberries (8 ounces), or 1/2 C cranberries and 1/2 C chocolate chips
• 1 C chopped walnuts

Make these as you would normal chocolate chip cookies (cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, stir in dries). Then add the nuts and chocolate chips. 

Slightly smushed and formed cookies
on the tray.

Finally, add the cranberries. The berries will not stick in the dough like raisins or chocolate chips do, so you'll have to form the cookies around the berries, especially if they are frozen. This precludes using a spoon to put the cookies on the baking sheet, so get your hands in to the dough! I also made slightly larger cookies (8 on a 12x18" sheet) so there are several berries in each. They don't have to be pretty when they go on the sheet, but you don't want berries rolling around. Making a sandwich—dough, cranberries, and more dough on top—seems to work well.

Bake at 350˚ until browned on top. Recipes often give times, but it depends a lot on the oven. These seemed to take longer than the usual 9-11 minutes you see on cookie recipes, because the cranberries keep the dough cooler. Once they pop, though, and the red juice runs down the side, well, it's a beautiful—and tasty—thing.

These also make a fantastic cookie bar (make the same batter, and put it in a glass pan and bake at 350 until done, 25-40 minutes).