Description
Classic sugarplum cranberry delight cookies blend festive flavors from European holiday traditions. Crimson cranberries and sweet spices create delicate, memorable bites perfect for winter celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 ml) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (150 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (130 g) granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 ½ cups (225 g) frozen cranberries
- ½ cup (75 g) Craisins dried cranberries
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice, divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Cranberry Preparation: Gently thaw frozen cranberries, ensuring they remain vibrant and soft, then purée with orange juice and zest in a food processor until smooth and crimson.
- Butter Mixture: Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until light and airy, then seamlessly incorporate the cranberry-orange purée, blending thoroughly to distribute the fruity essence.
- Dough Formation: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt, then delicately fold into the wet ingredients, mixing minimally to maintain a tender texture, and fold in dried cranberries for concentrated bursts of flavor.
- Chilling and Shaping: Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors and firm the butter, then roll chilled dough into sugar-coated spheres.
- Baking Process: Preheat the oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper, then bake cookies until edges turn a delicate golden color, being careful to prevent over-browning.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow cookies to rest briefly on the baking sheet to set, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling, developing a delightful crisp-tender texture.
Notes
- Cranberry Preparation Tip: Thaw frozen cranberries carefully to maintain their vibrant color and prevent mushiness, ensuring maximum flavor intensity.
- Flavor Infusion Technique: Puréeing cranberries with orange juice creates a depth of flavor that penetrates the entire cookie, balancing tartness and sweetness.
- Dough Handling Secret: Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading, enhance flavor melding, and create a more manageable texture for shaping.
- Baking Precision Pointer: Watch cookies closely during the final minutes of baking, removing them when edges turn golden to maintain a perfect crisp-tender texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (per batch)
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg