Cran-Orange Cookies
Chocked full of cranberries, nuts and other stuff then drizzled with orange glaze. I make these at Christmas but crave them year round.
Chocked full of cranberries, nuts and other stuff then drizzled with orange glaze. I make these at Christmas but crave them year round.
- Carbohydrate 36.0353874710981 g
- Cholesterol 32.5366666873956 mg
- Fat 15.1850424256484 g
- Fiber 1.28131022222848 g
- Protein 1.83394670104611 g
- Saturated Fat 8.04680574835512 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (66g)
- Sodium 210.635752832432 mg
- Sugar 34.7540772488696 g
- Trans Fat 1.05021085843534 g
- Calories 281 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat 1 c. butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until the mixture is creamy and well blended.
- Beat eggs, one at a time, into butter mixture.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture until dough is soft.
- Stir in pecans, rolled oats, and cranberries.
- Drop 1-1.5" balls of dough onto ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake until cookies are set and the edges are slightly brown, 10-12 mins. Cool ofr 1 min. Glaze: Place confectioners sugar and orange juice into bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in Orange zest and 1 Tbsp butter and microwave on medium power until butter melts (30 seconds). Stir the wrm glaze until smoot.
- Drizzle glaze over cookies.
Standard oatmeal drop cookies rely purely on cinnamon and raisins for structure, whereas this variant uses fresh citrus aromatics and dried fruit to alter the flavor profile entirely. Swapping the granulated white sugar and packed brown sugar ratio will fundamentally shift the moisture levels in the final crumb. Decreasing the brown sugar reduces molasses content, resulting in a crisper edge rather than a chewy center. Fresh orange juice in the glaze provides acidity that cuts through the sweetness of confectioners sugar, but bottled citrus juice contains preservatives that alter this balance through added sodium. Toasting the chopped pecans at 350 degrees for eight minutes prior to folding them into the dough releases essential oils, intensifying the nutty undertones against the tart dried cranberries. Overbeating the butter and sugars incorporates excess air, causing the dough balls to spread too rapidly on the baking sheet before the baking soda can react with the acid. Maintaining room temperature butter ensures proper aeration during creaming; melted butter creates a dense, greasy structure that fails to hold the weight of the rolled oats and nuts. Grinding the rolled oats into a coarse flour yields a more uniform texture, while leaving them whole preserves the classic rustic chew. Drizzling the warm glaze over the baked cookies requires precise timing, as applying it immediately to piping hot surfaces melts the coating into a translucent syrup rather than an opaque layer. Allowing the glazed cookies to set completely on wire racks prevents moisture from trapping underneath, which protects the crisp exterior crust during storage.
