Cranberries are one of my favourite ingredients to bake with during the holidays because of the tart flavour and festive pop of colour they add to baked goodies. These drop cookies are a great make-ahead holiday treat because you can freeze the unbaked balls of dough and just pop them into the oven when you need them. I store my cookie dough in plastic freezer bags for up to three months. Frozen cookie dough needs about one or two extra minutes of baking time, depending on your oven. I used white chocolate chips in this recipe, but milk or dark chocolate chips are just as delicious. Pecans taste great in this cookie too!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and coat baking sheets with nonstick spray or line with silicone baking mat.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar.
3. Add the egg and mix until combined.
4. Next, add the orange zest and vanilla extract.
5. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt.
6. Mix in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.
7. Shape dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Chill entire baking sheet for 10 minutes in the fridge.
8. Bake for 12 minutes. Do not overbake if you want cookies to stay chewy! Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before glazing.
9. For the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the orange juice. If the glaze is too runny, add a little more sugar. If it’s too stiff, thin it out with a little extra orange juice. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

Yield: Approximately 30 cookies