Walnut and cranberry cookies

Festive American-style cookies based on my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, enriched with walnuts and dried cranberries. Crisp around the edges and soft in the centre, they’re easy to make and require only basic pantry ingredients.
For an even more festive flavour, add some freshly grated orange zest if you like.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Ingredients for walnut and cranberry cookies:

• 115 g butter
• 100 g caster sugar
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a generous pinch of salt
• 120 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 150 g dried cranberries

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

The butter should be very soft – soft enough that a knife passes through it easily, as if it had been left on the kitchen counter on a warm summer day. If necessary, microwave the butter for a few seconds until roughly one-third of it has melted.

Place the butter and both sugars into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until very light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until fully incorporated. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then mix just until combined. Finally, stir in the chopped walnuts and dried cranberries using a spatula.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Shape the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut, or use a small ice cream scoop for easier portioning. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray, leaving plenty of space between them, as they spread considerably during baking. There is no need to flatten them.

Bake at 175°C for approximately 11–12 minutes, or until the edges and the very centre begin to turn golden. The longer the cookies bake, the crispier they become. The cookies will be very soft immediately after baking, so leave them on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the walnut and cranberry cookies in an airtight container or biscuit tin for up to 7 days.

Enjoy!