In my household, my husband is the baker and I’m the chef, but come holiday time, that changes real quick. Once I get a craving for Christmas cookies, all bets are off! Every weekend since Thanksgiving we’ve been pulling out our stash of baking ingredients to whip up some treats, so I’ve been testing out some new recipes, and I’m excited to share this new favorite with you!
But this post is so much more than one sweet recipe. This is the second year I’m participating in this Blog Hop Cookie Swap!! It’s like a virtual Christmas Cookie Party, and this year there are fifteen of us participating so you’ll have plenty of recipes to add to your repertoire! I’ve already seen a few I can’t wait to make! But let’s start with mine: a Dark Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Cookie recipe.
Picking a recipe for this one was tough!! There have been a few out there that I’ve been wanting to try, but what I really wanted to whip up was a cookie with cranberries that I actually enjoy. See, I feel like everyone pairs cranberries with white chocolate during the holidays. Sure it may look more festive, but – if we’re being honest – white chocolate makes me nauseous with its sweetness. But you know what’s really good? Dark chocolate and cranberries, duh. Add a little walnut for crunch, and boom. Christmas cookie success.
So here we go guys. If you hate nuts, take ’em out. If you prefer white chocolate, ok, fine. But these cookies right here are a new holiday favorite, for sure. (PS, I adapted this recipe from Baker by Nature, with slight adjustments.)
Dark Chocolate Walnut Cranberry Cookies // makes two dozen
- 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and brought back to room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (for gluten free, substitute a cup-to-cup flour)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbs milk (any kind will do!)
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 8 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions:
To brown the butter: Melt butter slowly in a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and scrape butter into a medium sized, heatproof bowl. Place bowl in the fridge or freezer until butter has come back to room temperature – solid but soft enough to scrape out of the bowl.
For the cookies: Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; whisk well to combine then set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the chilled brown butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in milk and vanilla. Beat in egg and egg yolk, one at a time, until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, stirring until just combined. Fold in the chocolate, cranberries, and walnuts.
Scoop tablespoon sized mounds of dough onto the prepared sheet, leaving space between each cookie for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes (depending on size), or until edges are set. The center may still be a bit soft! Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt. Allow them to set before transfering to a cooling rack – about 5-10 minutes.
Promptly devour. The flour ratio on the original recipe made these a little thicker than I liked, so I adjusted for this recipe. You can expect your cookies to spread a bit more, just the way I like ’em!
Ready for the rest of these recipes?? Here you go! So happy to be spreading the calories around with some of my favorite bloggers this season! Be sure to check them all out…
Salty & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies // Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies // Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Classic Butter Sugar Cookies // Rum Balls // Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread
Peppermint Crispies // Holiday Vanilla Almond Bark // Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Caramel Drizzled Chocolate Peanut Clusters // Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Honey Cinnamon Filling // Lace Cookies
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies // Coconut Crispy Cookies // Tiger Butter Bark
