White Chocolate & Dried Cranberry Cookies

I’ve had this post half started for a couple of weeks now (what up, slacker), but somehow keep losing my train of thought, or get distracted by some sort of shiny object, whoops! I don’t have anything particularly earth shattering to say about how these cookies came about other than I had a pregnancy fueled cookie craving (or at least that’s what I’m blaming it on!), a giant bag of dried cranberries and some white chocolate chips on hand. Interestingly enough, I couldn’t find any recipes for cranberry-white chocolate cookies, so I went to the old standby- The Joy of Cooking- and scanned the cookie recipes for something that would fit what I was looking for. The recipe for White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies had all the right things I was looking for and with a little modification for what I had on hand, I got the perfectly satisfying cookie I was looking for without having to leave the house to hit up the grocery store or bakery, and all was right in the world.

I’m a huge fan of the dried fruit/chocolate combination, and the tart, chewiness of the cranberries balanced very well with the smoothness of the white chocolate. I was happy that they also go the seal of approval from my husband (a true connoisseur of baked goods), as well as the boys at my all male office. I can usually tell when a baked good goes over well if the tin is empty before 1PM, and one of my bosses was sniffing around for extra cookies well before that time.

White Chocolate & Dried Cranberry Cookies

(recipe modified from The Joy of Cooking’s White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies)

-- 2 ½ Cups all purpose flour

 - 1 Tsp. baking soda

-- 1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

-- 1 1/3 Cups organic white sugar

-- 2/3 Cup packed light brown sugar

-- 2 Large eggs

-- 1 Tsp. vanilla

-- 1 Cup dried cranberries

-- 1 Cup white chocolate morsels or coarsely chopped white chocolate

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add in cranberries and white chocolate. Spoon generous teaspoons of dough onto cookie sheets (about 1 ½ inches apart) and bake for 15-18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 When I decided to make the Rustic Polenta Lasagne posted below, I knew I would also have to make some sort of desert component to satisfy Kyle’s sweet tooth. I finally caved to my pumpkin cravings and settled on the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies my friend Brianne had posted on her blog, Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen, a few weeks ago. I swear-that girl could sell her delicious baked goods to a man without taste buds, and her photos are just lovely! I have always admired her talent in baking, and have wanted to test-drive a number of her recipes for some time now, and this was the perfect excuse.

The cookies turned out beautifully- they baked up fluffy and full of flavor without being overly sweet or rich. I tend to like my cookies a bit more on the “cake-y” side, and these fit the bill perfectly. I ended up with about 30 cookies in the end, and they were just the right size for a little sweet satisfaction. In order to get a wider range of opinions, I brought in a tin to work and shared them with my neighbor, and they were well received by all participants, including my darling husband! In fact, they were so good (and simple!) I whipped up another batch on Sunday afternoon to help cope with the stinging loss my Patriots endured at the hands of the Browns (no, I do not want to talk about it, thanks), and they were extremely comforting, leaving the delicious aroma of fall hanging in the apartment for the next little while.

PS- Congratulations to Brianne and her husband on the birth of their beautiful son, Abe last week! There is no doubt in my mind that he will be fiercely loved, widely celebrated and well fed! ;-)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Brianne over on Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen

- 2 ½ Cups flour

- 1 Tspn baking soda

- 1 Tspn baking powder

- 1 Tspn cinnamon

- 1 Tspn nutmeg

- ½ Tspn salt

- 1 ½ Cups organic sugar

- 1 Stick butter, softened

- 1 Full cup canned pumpkin

- 1 Large egg

- 1 Tspn vanilla

- 1 Cup chocolate chips, semi sweet or dark work well

-3 Tblspns organic sugar combined w/ 1 tspn pumpkin pie spice, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line two baking sheets.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat together the sugar and butter until well blended. Add in pumpkin, egg and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gradually add in the dry mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

 Drop onto prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with spiced sugar mixture if using. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are firm and cool on wire racks.