12 Days of Cookie – Cranberry Orange Cookies

This is a new recipe for me this year. But when I saw it in Katie’s blog I knew I wanted to try it. I was intrigued by a cookie that isn’t loaded with sugar or chocolate (not that I don’t LOVE sugar and chocolate!). It’s a nicely refreshing cookie to add to any holiday cookie tray or cookie exchange. The batter comes together easily aside from chopping the cranberries. I definitely recommend using a food processor like Katie did. Ours is packed away, so I had to chop by had. First I chopped the crans in half so they wouldn’t roll away. Then I chopped them smaller from there. Aren’t they just so pretty?

Fresh Cranberry Orange Cookies – from Katie – I got 30 cookies using my cookie scoop
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp grated orange zest
juice of 1/2 orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. chopped fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and whisk; set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add yolk and beat until fully incorporated.

Add orange juice, then zest and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.

Turn mixer to low speed, add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Remove bowl from mixer, stir in cranberries, and place 1 Tbsp rounds of dough onto cookie sheets.

Place cookies in the oven and bake, switching baking sheet positions half way through baking time, for 12-14 minutes (they should not brown).

Remove from oven and let cool on pans completely, about 10-15 minutes.

I’m submitting this for Joelen’s Tasty Tools event. The theme this month is Baking Sheets! I’ve been using these a LOT this month with all the cookies I’ve been making! This one is an old one I stole from my mom. It’s my fav and my Silpat fits perfectly. The other two that I have are the Wilton ones with bigger “handles” on the ends. The Silpat doesn’t fit perfectly in it and they’re dark, so sometimes cookies brown more than expected.

My 12 Days of Cookies:Day 1: Lumberjacks
Day 2: Peppermint Sandies
Day 3: The great Sugar Cookie Debate
Day 4: Fudge

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12 Responses to “Homemade “Instant” Pancake Mix and Blueberry Pancakes”

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    1
    Sara — April 2, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    These pancakes look perfect! I don’t make pancakes that often, but this mix would be an easy throw together to keep in the freezer. Yum!

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    Amy Kingman — April 2, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    Great idea to freeze the mix. I have been making our pancake batter from scratch for a while now, and it’s nearly impossible to go back to the boxed stuff! They just taste flavorless and cardboard-y. I had been reluctant to make mix ahead of time because I didn’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the idea!

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    Lauren — April 2, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    What a great idea to have a homemade pancake mix on hand!

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    Nancy — April 2, 2010 at 5:22 pm

    A good substitute for buttermilk – since most of us don’t keep it on hand, but do have milk in the fridge:

    1 TBS white vinegar with enough milk added to make 1 cup. Allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, this mixture will clot up and mimic buttermilk sufficiently for most recipes.

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    5
    Memória — April 2, 2010 at 9:44 pm

    Those pancakes look amazing!! Oh my goodness.

    i think it is a great idea about freezing milk, too. I buy whole milk for baking only so I need to do that.

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    SimplySweeter — April 2, 2010 at 9:54 pm

    Wow. Those look so good I might have to whip some up…..like…NOW.

    http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com

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    7
    Jen — April 2, 2010 at 10:28 pm

    You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the substitute for buttermilk provided by Nancy.

    One thing to note about this recipe though. Not only is the buttermilk needed for the chemical reaction, but it also provides a great flavor to the pancakes that I don’t think you get from using the substitute. Also, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the fridge since it’s acidic.

    AB mentioned in his cookbook that there are only four thinks he will not make without buttermilk: cornbread, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. I tend to agree with him.

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    Kelly — April 3, 2010 at 1:24 am

    What a great idea to make your own pancake mix and then when you want quick pancakes, you can have a healthy mix 🙂

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    9
    Kerstin — April 3, 2010 at 3:33 am

    Mmm, these look way better than a mix! Great tip to store the mix in the freezer too!

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    Sugar Bananas — April 6, 2010 at 1:04 am

    Yum! I love blueberry ‘anything’. Alton Brown recipes are always winners. If you’re looking for an even healthier pancake recipe, check out my ‘fluffy whole wheat pancakes’ on my blog. I mix batches of the dry ingredients and keep them in the freezer. Thanks for posting – I’m off to buy some blueberries! Oh, and I’m a new follower 🙂

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    Memória — April 9, 2010 at 8:20 am

    These pancakes look amazing!! Bookmarked!

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    Ashley — July 7, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    Hey Jen I am eating these pancakes at this very moment. They are so fluffy and filling! May I borrow this recipe for my blog and link it back to you??

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