Saturday, December 14, 2013

Salted Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Check out the cookies I made this past weekend using the Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce I made -- I did so much cooking last weekend I didn't have a chance to post it all. If you like the combination of sweet and salty, try doing what I did...sprinkle the tops with a bit if Pink Himalayan salt before baking...I really liked the sweet/tart/slightly salty combination!  If you aren't sure if you like the sweet and salty combination...just bake one cookie with the salt as a "test". If sweet and salty just isn't your thing...just omit the salt on top. Below are a few photos as well as the recipe. Enjoy! :-)





Salted Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:


2 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup Swerve sweetener, or to desired sweetness (I used 3/4 cup in mine)
1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
4 ounces (brick style) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce (or your favorite sugar free cranberry sauce)
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup 70% or 85% cacao chocolate bar (3.5 ounces), chopped or 70% chocolate chips
Pink Himalayan sea salt, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and Swerve sweetener (or other granular sweetener).  Make a well in the center of the bowl and add softened butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon, cream and mix dry and wet ingredients together until the dough is mixed and blended well.  


Fold in cranberry sauce, walnuts and chocolate chips/chunks with a rubber spatula; mix just until blended.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (or chill and lightly roll into balls for neater cookies) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Very lightly tamp down (do not flatten) -- the cookies do not spread much while they bake.  Sprinkle lightly with pink Himalayan sea salt, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cookies are very soft when hot and will firm up as they cool.  Let sit 10-15 minutes; transfer to a rack using a spatula to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

    

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6 comments:

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

Well, who'd have "thunk" it? Cranberry Sauce in cookies. Brilliant! The salt is a great idea, too. After years of avoiding salt, I've begun to appreciate a bit of the pink salt not only with meat and veggies, but with chocolaty and/or sweet things, too. I guess our moms and grandmothers knew what they were doing adding a pinch of salt to this-and-that! :-)

PS: What beautiful and festive photos!!!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis -- Thanks -- I'm always looking for a way to get cranberries into things! I just picked up another big bag from Costco last night! LOL I know you see more "salted caramel" this and that and my hubby eats the dark chocolate covered salted pumpkin seed bark from Costco -- I have tasted it and it's good, I just don't know the percentage of cacao so I don't eat it (but it is really good). I am now more appreciative of the "clash" so to speak of flavor extremes between salty & sweet...so these cookies sort of test the waters a bit and squeeze in sweet, salty and tart...and let's not forget about the chocolate! :-)

Unknown said...

These are in the oven as I write this. They look and smell amazing!!! :)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Jan -- hope you enjoy them! :-)

Kathleen Norris said...

Made these this morning to take to my sister's for Christmas Eve fish dinner and dessert. They are delicious, as usual!! You do amazing work, and I hope you know how much we WBers appreciate your genius!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Kathleen -- Thanks so much! Merry Christmas to you and your family. So glad you enjoyed the cookies. :-)