21 Days of Cookies: Day 5
This recipe comes off a “recipe club” card from back in the 1990’s. It’s a soft drop cookie that is a good way to use leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving. Funny thing: my cookies look nothing like the photo on the card. I hate it when that happens! But I think mine are prettier.
What do you think?
There are three things that make this cookie special: 1. Sour cream. These cookies are so soft, it’s like biting into a little pillow of sweet studded with pecans and cranberries. 2. Nutmeg as your only spice. A whole teaspoon of it! I was skeptical, but it really just accentuates the cranberries and pecans. It’s so good. 3. The orange glaze. The recipe card lists it as optional – it’s not. Do not, I repeat, do not skip.
I sent this batch of cookies to my husband’s office. He was the most popular person at work that day, and in the evening he brought me home a container with nothing but a few crumbs of leftover orange glaze. They were crazy about these cookies.
I love baking with fresh cranberries, especially because the season is so short. I think the fresh cranberries are a must. If you use dried cranberries, like craisins, it would be a different cookie altogether.
Cape Cod Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter lightly salted
- 1⅓ cups light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1¼ cups chopped fresh cranberries 4 oz by weight
Orange Glaze
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest or just the zest of one orange
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla, then sour cream until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until just combined.
- Stir in pecans and cranberries.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly brown.
- Let cool completely before applying glaze.
Orange Glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar, 1 tbsp orange juice, and orange zest. Mix together and slowly add more orange juice, a few drops at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency. Whisk to remove any powdered sugar lumps. Use a spoon to pour glaze over cookie, or drizzle with a piping bag. Glaze will dry with a crust.
