Christmas-time always puts me in the mood to bake.  I know I’m not alone on this one.  🙂  While Thanksgiving conjures visions of a dinner table overflowing with savory treats, Christmas celebrations frequently star sweets.  I have participated in a number of Christmas cookie exchanges over the years, and this year is no exception.  I’m excited to see what the ladies at my church have created this year!  For my contribution, I almost always lean on this recipe for my VERY favorite cookie — a cranberry orange cookie dotted with chopped walnuts, drizzled with a tart citrus glaze.  I first “discovered” this cookie in college, when a friend made a variation of them.  I’ve since found many similar recipes online.  So, I can’t take credit for the recipe… only for introducing you to it!!

These cookies are my idea of baked good perfection.  🙂  They have a lovely balance of tart & sweet, and an ideal texture balance as well (softer cookie, chewy cranberries, crunchy walnuts).  I can eat them by the dozen!!  My best friend, Kristin, came to visit this past weekend.  She tried a few of these cookies and agreed… they are highly addictive!!  I hope some of you whip up a batch of your own to see for yourself how wonderful these cookies truly are…

Cranberry Orange Cookies with Walnuts ~ Yield: 4 dozen

{Ingredients}

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup of white sugar (I prefer turbinado sugar when available)
• 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp grated orange zest (or more, if you’re wild for oranges like I am)
• 2 TBS of orange juice (I use fresh juice from the oranges I’m zesting, rather than a store bought juice) — I used Cara Cara oranges, an incredible variety with a blush-tinged flesh and incredibly juicy sweet flavor with hints of cherry, blackberry and rose.  YUM!)

• 2.5 cups of AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt (I use pink HimalaSalt)
• 2 cups of chopped dried cranberries (dried currants would be a perfect alternative)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I typically add 3/4 cup instead… LOVE walnuts!)

{Instructions}

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, cream your butter and white + brown sugars until smooth.
3. Beat in the egg until thoroughly integrated.
4. Add your orange zest and orange juice and continue to mix.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flower, baking soda and salt.  Add this mixture to your wet batter.
6. Mix in cranberries + walnuts, until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets (I swear by Silpat liners).  **Make sure to give the cookies some room… at least 2″ apart on all sides.  They spread a bit.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are just golden brown.
9. Remove cookies from the sheets and cool on wire racks.
10. For the glaze: mix all three ingredients together until smooth.
11. Spread or drizzle glaze on the tops of the cooled cookies, and wait until glaze is set before storing cookies.

Enjoy!!  xoxo, Angel