Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of brandy (to soak the cranberries in, then saving 1 1/4 teaspoons of it for later)
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
- 1 cup (two sticks) of butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of white chocolate chips
Method
1 Put the cranberries in a wide and shallow bowl, pour in a bit of brandy. Enough so they're surrounded by it, but not drowning. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour or more. Afterwards, place a colander over a bowl and pour the cranberries and brandy through, putting the cranberries and the brandy they soaked in aside.2 Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until light, fluffy and well incorporated.
3 Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and add 1 1/4 teaspoons of the brandy that the cranberries soaked in (as for the rest, I suggest popping it in a glass and topping it off a bit for yourself). Beat well until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl midway through to ensure even mixing.
4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the mixture a bit at a time, beating until just mixed. Fold in the brandy soaked cranberries and white chocolate chips. Let chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.
5 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a baker's best friend) and place rounded spoonfuls down on the sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I made these for Christmas and EVERYONE loved them. I'm thinking they might be really good with dried cherries in place of the cranberries. And maybe a cherry liquor in place of the brandy??? Or maybe dried apricots/peaches with peach schnapps?? Well, you get the idea. Lots of room with these cookies to experiment and I'd bet they're delicious no matter what your flavor combination preference.
