Cranberry Pecan Cookies with Orange Glaze

I make tons of Christmas cookies every year and I try and rotate the flavors, but sometimes there is one cookie no one will let you leave off the rotation.  If I left these cookies out of the tins; I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it from my husbands' Uncle Stan.  Every time I see him; he reminds me how much he likes these.

I always hand deliver the cookies, but one year I went to Uncle Stan & Aunt Ladybugs house and no one was home. (Yes that is their names, cute huh!)  I left the tin on the doorstep and figured they would find it when they got home.  They had heard from others that I delivered cookies and were feeling a little left out that they didn't get any.  Once I heard of this, I dropped them off another package.  A couple of days later Aunt Ladybug calls me and says, "I found the tin in the backyard, the dog must of gotten them!"  We both laughed.  Maybe it was really Uncle Stan who got to them.

Cranberry Pecan Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 cups frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped or ground

Orange Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

Zest from 1 orange

2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Pinch salt

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  To a mixer add sugars and butter, beat on medium speed till combined.  Add the milk, orange juice, and egg and mix till combined.  Add in flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda, and mix till combined.  Stir in the cranberries and nuts.

Tip:  I've made the cookies enough to know the easiest way to deal with the cranberries is to dump half of a bag in a blender and process a couple of times until they are chopped.  Fresh cranberries are only available for a short time, so I will buy a few extra bags and keep them in the freezer so we can enjoy these cookies whenever.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment.

Bake 11-13 minutes.  Let cool.  I like to use parchment here because you can let the cookies cool on the parchment, frost them on the paper, remove and you will have less mess to clean up.

Melt butter in pan, add orange zest, orange juice, salt and powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth.  I like to put my glaze in a small pitcher and drizzle over cookies.

Tip:  To store cookies, I like plastic storage containers.  I put one row of cookies, a layer of wax paper and layer the cookies that way; otherwise they will stick together.

Enjoy, 

Gina