Bursting with tangy cranberries, crunchy toasted pecans, and pieces of sweet chocolate, these cookies are easy to make and look festive for your holiday cookie tray.

Cranberry Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

Parchment paper or small amount of vegetable shortening for preparing baking sheets

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (about ½ of an orange)

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice

2½ cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Tip: See Toasting Nuts and Seeds. Use a citrus zester and citrus juicer for fresh zest and freshly squeezed juice. Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets; lightly grease with shortening, or line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
   
   Dough:
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk together to mix. Set aside.
   
   
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and orange zest. With the mixer on medium speed beat the butter and orange zest about 1 minute until it is smooth and lightened in color. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the brown sugar and beat another 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Add the egg, beating about 1 minute to thoroughly mix.
   
   
4. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended.  Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the orange juice, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and orange juice, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
   
   
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the cranberries, pecans, and chocolate chips, just until mixed. Don’t over mix as the cranberries will smear.
   
   Bake:
6. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set and very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
   
   Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized Scookies.
   
   Makes about 5 dozen cookies
   
   TheBakingPan.com
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