C is for Cookie

It hasn’t felt much like Christmas in my house, and I know exactly why…  I hadn’t had a chance to bake anything.  Hello, it is a Christmas staple.  I finally got a chance to do some baking and well, let’s just say “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

A tried and true recipe that I’ve gone to for the past couple years is Nigella Lawson: Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies They’re um, well, hmmm… Perfectly Christmas.

The original recipe is absolutely delicious, but due to personal preferences I’ve altered it just slightly.  Here’s “my” version:

Cranberry-Apricot and White Chocolate Cookies

(Makes about 36 Cookies)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

1 cup Rolled Oats (NOT Quick Cooking)

9 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

½ cup Dark Brown Sugar

½ cup Superfine Sugar

1 large Egg

½ tsp pure Vanilla Extract

½ cup Dried Cranberries

½ cup Dried Apricots

¼ cup Pecans, roughly chopped

¼ cup (heaping) White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°

In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and oats.

Fixed with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars (dark brown and superfine) together.  Slowly add the egg and vanilla, mixing until just combined.

Add your flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in cranberries, pecans and white chocolate chips.  Let dough cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Spoon tablespoon-sized dough balls with your hands and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Remember, this recipe yields almost three-dozen cookies so you may need more than one cookie sheet.

           

Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Do not immediately remove cookies from the baking sheet when done, let cool for about 5 minutes.

F is for Fun, and Festive… and Fat, which is how I’m going to start my New Year.

Tasty Tips/Finds:

• Mix and match a variety of dried fruits.  Just be careful not to alter the balance; Keep your dried fruit close to the one cup measurement.
• Yes, there is a difference between Granulated sugar and Superfine sugar (also referred to as Baker's sugar).  If you don't have Superfine sugar just give your Granulated sugar a couple pulses in the food processor (or Magic Bullet), and problem solved.