Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe

It seems every family has its beloved cookies that the holiday dessert tray just wouldn’t be the same without. I always make “my” Russian tea cakes and those little buttery spritz cookies. My sisters make gingerbread folks and those chewy marshmallow and cereal flake wreaths. Yum! And the family expects it. But just as you would hopefully welcome an extra guest to your holiday dinner table, so too can you open your heart to trying a new cookie. There is the classic scouting song that begins, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” That could apply to cookies too, right?

This cookie has dough similar to a chocolate chip cookie but mixes it up with macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and sweetened dried cranberries. Low in fat and high in fiber, cranberries can add a healthy sweet-tart chew and a pop of color to cookies. Keep in mind cranberries contain antioxidants, beta-carotene, potassium and vitamin C, too. The added protein from the nuts is just a bonus.This recipe, which is courtesy of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, appeared in Real Food. While we’re confident in its success, in the name of “research” you just might need to make an extra batch early to give it a test run before the holiday celebrations.

Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes 2½ dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (about 4 ounces) macadamia nuts
1 cup white chocolate chips
1½ cups sweetened, dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, soda and salt, mixing thoroughly. Fold in the macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and sweetened, dried cranberries.

3. Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

Mary Subialka is the editor of Real Food and Drinks magazines, covering the flavorful world of food, wine, and spirits. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.