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Monday, April 16, 2012

Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookies for the Secret Recipe Club

These cookies hit a homerun with my favorite flavor notes-- almond, white chocolate, cranberries. Yes!


...
...and then I realized, that as much as I love baking cookies, I haven't made any in a long time.  So another savory recipe will have to wait, while I switch over to baking something sweet.  My husband always appreciates having some cookies to toss in his lunch box, and my son is known to eat a few at a time.  So, when I spied the Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookies, and realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand, this was my SRC choice for the month.

Cranberries and white chocolate does sound like a winter Christmas cookie combination. But, I use dried cranberries year-round.  (I stock up on them to make my homemade Cranberry-Almond granola.)  I love white chocolate.  Combine that with any kind of almond flavor, and I'm sold. 

The batter is similar to a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, except that this one uses all brown sugar. 

I debated between using pecans vs. almonds, but decided to use some toasted almonds-- and I ramped up the almond flavor by adding some almond extract and some vanilla extract.

While the oven preheated to 350F, I chilled the dough; then scooped the cookie dough onto parchment paper.

Eleven minutes later, they were baked to golden.

This recipe made 3 1/2 dozen.  For my own sake, so that I don't become a cookie monster, they are boxed up and ready to go to my husband's office.  I'm sure they'll be appreciate by his co-workers.

TASTING NOTES:  Cranberry and white chocolate are a great pairing.  If you like a soft cookie, that has a perfect balance of butter flavor, brown sugar, tart cranberries and just the right amount of white chocolate-- this cookie is for you.  I'd make these again, but I have to admit-- I'm a much bigger fan of cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.  I'm not saying these aren't good cookies, because they are.  I'm just going to tweak the recipe a little bit, next time, with a combo of butter and shortening, to get that "crispy-chewy" combo that I love so much.   

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post.








17 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 16, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    I love ALL those flavors. What a great find!

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  2. Penny PincherApril 16, 2012 at 9:19 AM

    These look so good! I've made an oatmeal cookie similar to this, but no almonds and they are probably one of my favorites! Come check out the white chocolate berry meringue bars I made for this month's reveal.

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  3. UnknownApril 16, 2012 at 9:23 AM

    I agree with Colleen. It's a great combination of flavours, and they look like they turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Debbi Does Dinner HealthyApril 16, 2012 at 12:38 PM

    I love cranberries and white chocolate. These sound great!

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  5. Miz HelenApril 16, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    These cookies are awesome, we just love the cranberry and white chocolate combination of flavor. It is fun cooking with you in the SRC!
    Miz Helen

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  6. Angie AApril 16, 2012 at 3:39 PM

    These cookies look amazing! Such a wonderful combination of flavors. YUM!

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  7. BetsyApril 16, 2012 at 6:23 PM

    I love all fruit+white chocolate combination (try orange sometime) These sound divine! I'm stopping by from SRC but be sure to stop by Seasonal Potluck this month. We have peas AND rhubarb link parties open! We'd love if you'd share any recipes you may have http://bit.ly/H9XJGB

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  8. SuzanneApril 16, 2012 at 6:45 PM

    Oh, Debby. You are so kind! And these cookies are probably my family's most favorite. I want you to please let me know when you get the "crispy" recipe for these figured out, because my husband will love me forever if I make these for him and they are crispy. :D I'm tickled that you had my blog for your assignment! You are absolutely one of my top bloggers of all time!

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  9. FallonApril 16, 2012 at 8:01 PM

    I've made cookies like these with similar ingredients but never thought of using almond. Delicious!

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  10. JoanneApril 16, 2012 at 8:23 PM

    Cranberry white chocolate chips are so classic and are one of my favorites! You've definitely spurred a craving!

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  11. GratefulPrayerThankfulHeartApril 17, 2012 at 6:31 AM

    Hi Debbie!

    I love recipes that combine cranberries with white chocolate and these cookies look delicious!

    A very lovely blog you have here. I have enjoyed perusing a bit :)

    Nice to meet you. Kindly, Lorraine

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  12. KarenApril 17, 2012 at 10:18 AM

    I use the dried cranberries all year, too - love them! This is a beautiful cookie - nice choice for SRC.

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  13. JulieApril 17, 2012 at 7:04 PM

    These look delicious! Cranberry and white chocolate are perfect together.

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  14. Salsa VerdeApril 18, 2012 at 5:51 AM

    Amazing combo and they look so delicious!!
    Cheers,
    Lia.

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  15. VelvaApril 18, 2012 at 5:40 PM

    Debby, these are beautiful cookies. The Secret Recipe Club is a great way to discover new blogs.

    Always,
    velva

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  16. betiApril 22, 2012 at 6:19 PM

    they are beautiful! and they look delicious as well

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  17. Jen @ Peanut Butter and PeppersApril 27, 2012 at 5:51 PM

    What yummy looking cookies!!! Your photos are beautiful!

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Thank you for visiting my blog kitchen and I read and appreciate every single comment. **SPAM COMMENTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL AGAIN, SO I HAVE TO TURN ON COMMENT MODERATION, SORRY!** The only time I will delete a comment, if it is rude and left as "anonymous"-- or if it self-promoting with a link to your website/blog. If you had a problem with a recipe, or have a negative comment, please email me and I will respond to you-- and I don't bite! I am always available at foodiewife@gmail.com