Happy Tuesday! Have you digested all that turkey yet? Pumpkin pie? Pumpkin cheesecake? STUFFING!? Oh man. I’ve been making sure to move my bod extra this week (even if that means riding my bike in 32 degree weather and FREEZING) to get over the Thanksgiving full-belly conundrum. The good news? I’m over it! The bad news? That means I’m making things like these delicious cookies to keep it going! Oops.
These little pillows of joy are my current holiday obsession. They’re so poofy! And soft! And flavorful! You know I have a thing for fresh cranberries (and, just to warn you, TKP is gonna be on cranberry overload here in the next few weeks!), as evidenced here and here and here. So while I’m making all things cranberry, I also NEVER run out of cranberries because I always like to have extra for when I take pictures. It’s the never-ending cranberry box, and I am certainly not complaining about it.
I wanted some soft almond cookies, and with the aforementioned cranberries on hand, figured I’d combine the two. WINNER! Good choice. These are easy to throw together, pretty with a pop of red, and balanced by the sweet almond flavor in contrast to tart, fresh cranberries. Could this be our new favorite holiday cookie!? IT COULD BE!
I’m not really in full on Christmas-cookie mode (YET), but figured I could ease my way in with these cuties. And by “ease my way in” I mean accidentally eat 10 straight out of the oven. Oops/notsorry.
Have a wonderful week! xo
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1¾ cups AP flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup chopped cranberries
- With a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the egg, and again mix until smooth before incorporating the almond extract.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt before adding the dry ingredients to the butter in the mixing bowl.
- Mix until the ingredients have just come together, then add the chopped cranberries and mix again only to incorporate. If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for 30 minutes (my house is cold enough that this wasn't necessary).
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop dough in ⅛ cup balls and place 2" apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but not yet browning. They will not look very done! Remove, let cool for two minutes on the pan, and then move to a rack to fully cool.
Cookies look delicious. What is AP flour?
Hi Linda! AP just means “all-purpose” — nothing fancy! Enjoy! xo
Not a huge fan of cornstarch. Is there a good substitution?
Hey Danielle,
You can use normal flour in place of cornstarch, but it will definitely alter the texture of the cookies… it’s there for fluffiness! They’ll be fine without, just different. Enjoy! xo
Mary
Saw these on Pinterest and just had to stop by. These look so so fluffy, and so perfect for the holidays! I’m thinking orange zest might go nicely too 🙂
Yum! Orange zest would be delicious! Enjoy, Stefanie! xo
Hi! These look fantastic! Do you think the dough would freeze well? Planning on making a few batches of cookies this week and scooping them into balls and freezing so they are ready when guests arrive for Christmas. Thank you!
Hi Christina! I haven’t tried it myself, but I do think they’d freeze well! I’d bake them from frozen, and give a few extra minutes. Let me know how it goes! xo
Well it’s a year later and I’m back because I’m making these cookies again for Thanksgiving and will be making them for Christmas also! They were fantastic. I did exactly as you suggested (baked from frozen with a couple extra minutes) and they were perfect. My sister already special requested a batch for her next visit. Love this recipe! Thank you so much!
Oh yay!! So glad they’re a yearly hit for you guys! xoxo
I’ve got say, I don’t even like any soft cookie but I made these cuz I think they look pretty. OMG They are good! I make n give cookies for Christmas every year, and I’m gonna find a way to pack these so other people can enjoy them, too. How wonderful!
Woohoo! I’m glad they won you over! Thanks for the comment, Willow! xo
half a year later, i found this recipe that looks delicious! can i substitute dried cranberries?
Hi Lori! Thanks for the comment! You could sub dried, but it would change these significantly! The fresh ones really make the recipe! Enjoy! xo
I’m trying to subscribe to your blog and it’s telling me that I don’t have a correct email address. Can you help?
Hi Auntiepatch! I just added you — you should get an activation email, so just follow the directions in there! Enjoy! xo
I just made your Gingerbread Cookies and they were perfect, even though I forgot the lemon juice? I did use lemon zest. I’m now making your Cranberry Almond, they look fabulous! Looking forward to trying lots of your recipes, you just might be the next Ina! Merry Christmas?
Hi Kathy! Yay!! So glad to hear you liked the gingerbread cookies — I hope the cranberry almond turn out for you, too! They’re one of my new favorites for the holidays. Enjoy! xoxo