December Cookie
The winter months are low on bright fruits with a juicy texture, but cranberries fit the bill, and I love working with them when the weather gets dark and cold. The acidity of the cranberries pairs beautifully with the milky sweetness of white chocolate, and the herbaceousness of the fennel seed in the cookies bridges the gap between the high contrast of the tart/sweet. Add in the crunch and tannin of toasted walnuts and the cookies are packed full of treasures for the holidays.
Ingredients
17 oz all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter
6 ounces light brown sugar
6 ounces granulated sugar
2 large eggs, cold
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
10 ounces Guittard 35% Soie Blanche
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 c sugar
Directions
Make the cranberries:
Combine cranberries and 1/4 sugar in a small saucepan and cook until all the cranberries have popped and the mixture is thick. Chill
Make the cookie dough:
Put half the butter in a bowl with the sugars. Place the remaining half of the butter in a small saucepan and brown the butter until the milk solids are toasted and fragrant. Pour the browned butter over the butter in the bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to combine all the ingredients. When the mixture is warm, but not hot, mix in the eggs one at a time until the mixture looks smooth. Mix in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in the walnuts, white chocolate, and fennel seeds. Chill dough for 24 hours.
Shape the cookies:
Portion the cookie dough into 70 gram balls. On a parchment lined sheet pan, divide each cookie ball in half. Spoon about a heaping teaspoon of the cranberries into the center of each ball, and then top with the remaining halves.
Bake at 375 for around 12 minutes until golden and cooked through. After removing from the oven, use an offset spatula or butter knife to immediately nudge in the edges of the cookies to make them round.
