Sometimes life is spontaneous. This recipe is one of those times. I felt like baking and I knew there were people coming for tea. I looked around my busy/messy kitchen and wondered what might be quick and easy to put together. There was only a little butter sitting at room temperature. I was out of chocolate chips. The recipe below was what came out of the oven. The valley is harvesting hazelnuts and cranberries right now so these are appropriately seasonal.
I didn’t even think about taking pictures until I realized there were only a few left on the plate. Sometimes you just get lucky.
You will need:
½ cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
¾ tsp. rum or almond extract
2/3 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. hot water
pinch of salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts (ground almonds would also an option)
Thanksgiving is under two weeks away in Canada so starting by finding gratitude within for the nuts and berries that made it all the way to harvest is a really good place to commence. Putting on an apron and washing hands will help create a new space within which to shift your attention to the present moment. As you take a few slow deep breaths, let thankfulness be your partner. Begin.
Begin by putting the kettle on to boil. Place the dried cranberries into a small container ( Used a small cream cheese container) and once the water boils add just enough to cover the cranberries. Put the lid on to keep the heat in and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat the butter and both sugars together for at least three minutes before adding the egg and mixing until well combined.
I added 1/2 bottle Dr. Oetker bitter almond essence by mistake. I was intending on adding rum essence. I mention this because almond extract is made from sweet almonds and brings a different flavour to the recipe. There is no wrong or right choice, just my preference and staying with my intended rum is always an option.
It used the cranberry hot water for dissolving the baking soda before pouring it into the mixture, then topped the mixture with sieved flour and started blending the flour into the wet ingredients with my handmixer on low. It is a soft mixture and can easily be done by hand.
When it looks like it is about halfway towards being mixed, stop. Add the salt, ground nuts and soaked cranberries, minus the extra liquid. Continue mixing.
There are several other ingredients you could chose to add. I did not and I think that might have been one of the reasons these cookies went over so well. If you choose to, the batter can accommodate another 3/4’s of a cup of rolled oats, chopped nuts, shredded coconut or chocolate chips.
Roll into 30 balls about the size of a walnut. Grease or add silicone mat or parchment paper to the cookie tray. Place 15 balls on the tray and bake for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the first batch to not over bake. Repeat with the second tray.
Cool cookies by gently moving to a cooling rack.
Soft Cranberry Nut Cookies from My Kitchen Wand
