Cranberry-Lemon Cookies

by cookingwithauntjuju.com

I recently received my December issue of Food Network Magazine and this festive recipe was in their holiday sweets section. As I never got around to making my cranberry sauce this year why not make cookies instead! This is one recipe that did not go into the “make” file!!!

In the past I have only used whole fresh cranberries in my cranberry sauce and dried cranberries in salads, baked goods, etc. where the sugar balanced out the tartness of some of the berries. I certainly did not want the cookies to have an acidic taste that might overwhelm the sweetness. I never cut into the fresh ones before and wow what a difference. You can see the result above; half of the bag was bright red inside and the other half was white, tinted with a little red. Which ones would you put in your cookies? Needless to say there was a difference in taste too. Of course I wanted to use the sweeter berries on the left in these cookies.

I did notice if the berry was hard it was going to be white inside and bitter. Also, if the outside color was not a bright red it was going to be bitter.

So, there I am squeezing each berry and only using the “bouncy” and “supple” ones that were a crimson red. I had to cut the recipe in half because there were not enough sweet berries.

MY SUGGESTION: BUY DRIED CRANBERRIES OR TWO BAGS OF FRESH CRANBERRIES TO MAKE THE FULL RECIPE

Cranberry-Lemon Cookies

NOTE: Below is the original recipe from Food Network which I adapted and cut in half

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (12 oz.), roughly chopped (I cut them in half) divided (the recipe suggested saving 1/2 cup to press into the cookies after they were formed – I did not do this)

Glaze:

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 
  • 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and 1 tbsp. lemon zest. Next add the flour mixture until completely combined, then fold in 1-1/2 cups cranberries. The batter was thick so I folded them in with my hands.

Scoop the dough into golf ball-size balls and arrange about 2 inches apart. Gently press the remaining 1/2 cup chopped cranberries into the tops of each cookie (I did not do this as I put all the cranberries into the dough). Bake until slightly golden around the edges, 15-17 minutes. Remove the cookies and transfer to a rack set over a parchment covered baking sheet.

Put the sifted confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tbsp. lemon zest until smooth. Drizzle on the cookies and let set.

They have a little crunch when you first bite into them and then yummy goodness inside!

Makes 30

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com 

7 thoughts on “Cranberry-Lemon Cookies”

  2. What a great cookie for a Christmas cookie exchange – they sound delicious!

    Reply

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