Cranberry coconut cookies
I suppose it’s because of the elevation, but we do burn our calories, and we do go through the cookies. Someone asked me once how and where I stock up enough bread and cake and cookies to get through the winter. I showed them the 50 pound sacks I store in our Trading Post. A few of those last us through the winter, and provide all the bread and goodies we need. Can you imagine the size of the freezer I’d need to put up all that stuff otherwise?
Anyway, I do enjoy baking. You probably figured that. And you know, if the wood cook stove is going, you might as well use it, right?
Today I’d like to share a recipe for a cookie I just started making. I took the time to write the measurements down last week when I baked these to make sure I had it right. I’m one of those who measure by “more or less” and use the palm of my hand for measuring spoons, but I have since learned that doesn’t work too well for sharing recipes. (Right, Ma?)
I first experimented with these cookies over Christmas. (Karen & Ron, and several friends and family in Creede – you had some of the first experimental batch in the care packages I shared over the holidays.) Those ones were slightly different – I think I used pecans in them, and did not use the orange peel – and they were pretty good too. Like with all baking for those of us who don’t live near the grocery store to pick up all the right ingredients, “more or less” works well for baking. It’s making do. That’s fine for baking, but I don’t really like to settle on “more or less” for other aspects of my life.
These are really good! I hope you try and enjoy.
Cranberry Coconut Cookies
In a medium bowl, cream together:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups white sugar
Again, I use my Big Fork and a lot of elbow grease, but a mixer would make light work of this if you must.
Cream into the butter/sugar mixture:
2 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
Then gently mix in the dry ingredients all at together:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
When this is well blended, fold in:
1 ¼ cup dried cranberries (I had a sweetened variety, and they were great)
1 ¼ cup flaked dried coconut (here, I had an unsweetened variety)
1 ¼ cup white chocolate chips
When all ingredients are well combined, form round ball with two small spoons on your cookie sheet, evenly spaced (I fit the bakers dozen, 13 per sheet), each ball about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inch in diameter.
Bake in a medium hot oven (350 degrees), each batch for just under 10 minutes. Cool cookies on wire racks.
As you can see from the picture, it makes a good size batch, and those that won’t be consumed in a day or two, do freeze well.