Anyone for Cranberry Orange Cookies?

One of the joys of reading food blogs is finding new recipes that are tried and true. Naturally, celebrated chefs know how to cook. Often they cook things that are quite complex and complicated. AND time consuming. Sometimes famous chefs actually pay a recipe developer to create recipes for the cookbooks they "write." Kind of boggles my mind that chefs are willing to take that kind of risk to put their name to a cookbook and then pay somebody else to develop recipes and claim them as their own. Not many do this (I hope). Food magazines do this too, but one hopes that the developers know what they're doing and work hard at creating something special. For all kinds of tastes.

But when you find a blog with photos taken in a home kitchen, you're assured this is the real thing. These aren't professional photos (although some of them could rival those taken by the glitzy pros who do the photography for cookbooks and magazines). One of my favorite blogs with fabulous photography is Lucullian Delights. Ilva, originally Swedish, is a wonder behind the camera lens. You never know what you're going to find on her blog - food sometimes, but also scenes from her home territory, Tuscany.

So, back to cookies. I've been reading Culinary Concoctions by Peabody for many months, and always enjoy reading her witty and sometimes pithy posts. And when she posted this recipe, I knew I needed to give it a whirl. (Her photos are great too, by the way.) It's really been made in a home kitchen AND it's good. You'll see Peabody's link over there on the right in my list of blogs I read. And these cookies, these cute little mounds, are just plain deliciousness. You'll notice the little flecks of orange peel, and the hint of chopped dried cranberries. I must admit, though, that I made a boo-boo from the original recipe. Can you imagine that I made a mistake? I forgot to flatten the cookies just before baking. Guess what? It didn't make a whit of difference. I may have added a minute of cooking time, but that's about it.

Cookies last a good long time in my house because after cooling them, they're always piled into freezer Ziploc bags and frozen. I don't eat a cookie every day. Maybe every other. And this recipe will be a keeper, and they are just perfect with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee. The batch I made a month ago is just now gone, so it'll be back to the kitchen for me. Soon. Thanks, Peabody.

Cranberry Orange Cookies
Recipe By : Adapted from Land O'Lakes Holiday Cookies 2005
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (food blog)
Serving Size : 30 Preparation Time 15 minutes

ORANGE SUGAR:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel -- fresh
COOKIES:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter -- room temperature
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries -- chopped
1/2 cup macadamia nuts -- chopped
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1. Heat oven to 350°. Combine all ORANGE SUGAR ingredients in a small bowl; stir until well mixed. Set aside.
2. COOKIES: combine 1 cup sugar, butter and egg in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until well mixed. Add all remaining ingredients. Continue beating just until mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in orange sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass to 1 ½-inch circles.
3. Bake for 7 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. (DO NOT OVERBAKE). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

NOTES : You can try pistachio nuts in place of the macadamia. Do not use pecans as they overpower the delicate flavor. These are crumbly cookies, but very, very tasty.
Start to Finish Time: 45 minutes

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 124 Calories; 6g Fat (46.2% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 19mg Cholesterol; 84mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
If you want to print just the recipe, click on the title of this post.