Cranberry-Coconut Cookies

I was dying for some cookies, but didn’t know what kind I wanted to make. So I was perusing my pantry items, and came across some dried cranberry and coconut. I thought, hmm..coconut?…cranberry?… coconut-cranberry? Yes! These cookies are simply marvelous! I also dusted them with powdered sugar, which is totally optional. They were good both with AND without the dusting. Also, I reduced by about 1/3 when I made these, which I’ve included in italics, as I was running low on flours as you can see by my 3-way combo of flours. So this can easily be reduced if you are looking to make just a small batch to eat (the dough) or if you’re making the cookies just for you! But to reiterate, I’ve given both the full recipe AND the reduced quantities And if you need some ‘healthy’ justification..cranberries are a good source of vitamin C and fiber, not to mention other key minerals and micronutrients. For this cookie, I softened the butter enough for me to cream it with the sugar by hand..thats right…BY HAND! It’s how I used to always make cookies, but lately I’ve been slacking and using a mixer to cream my butter and sugar. Not with this batch my friends!

Ingredients:

3 C AP flour – 1C (equal parts buckwheat, oat, and bread)
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder – 1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp salt – pinch
1.5 C Earth Balance Vegan butter, softened – 1 stick (1/2 C)
1.75 C turbinado sugar – 1/2 C + 3 TBSP
2 tsp pure vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
grated zest of 1 navel orange – 1/4 tsp extract
1.5 C dried cranberries – 1/2 C
1.5 C sweetened shredded coconut – 1/2 C

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat EB vegan butter, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest on medium speed until creamy and light. Add flour mixture, and beat on medium-low speed until mixture comes together to form a dough. Beat in cranberries and coconut.
3. Shape dough into 1.25-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets – although they don’t spread out much. Flatten each ball slightly (I didn’t bother flattening). Bake until edges begin to brown, rotating baking sheets halfway through, 15-17 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Variations: You could probably substitute about 1 or 2 tsp (full recipe, about 1/2 tsp reduced recipe) coconut extract for the flavor of the coconut but without the texture, if you have an aversion. You could also opt to dust in powdered sugar, or not…

*Note: For gluten-free, use all buckwheat or another gluten-free flour!

Happy Baking!

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