Pecan, Orange, Dried Cranberries and Maple Sugar Cookies

Keeping a few logs of cookie dough in the freezer, guaranties having freshly baked cookies in no time. This time, I added the tasty and aromatic combination of chopped pecans, orange zest and juice, dried cranberries and maple sugar, to my basic butter cookie dough (of which there are quite a few versions in this blog), and rolled them in pearl sugar, to add another crunchy texture to it.

While baking, the kitchen was filled with enticing scents of butter, maple and orange. These crispy cookies are as colorful as they are flavorful. They are perfect for serving with herbal teas, or with any other warm beverage. Try them and enjoy.

 

Notes

* The prepared dough logs can be kept in the freezer (well wrapped) for up to two months.
* The cookies are baked from frozen, so the baking time is a bit longer than most.

* Maple sugar can be found in specialty stores or online

* Pearl sugar is a special sugar that keeps its white color and shape while baking. It can be found in specialty stores or online.

 

Makes: 80-90 cookies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Freezing time: 4 hours minimum
Baking time: 15-17 minutes

 

Ingredients:
1 stick (115 grams) butter, soft
¾ cup white sugar

¼ cup maple sugar (see notes)
¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla paste
1 L egg

1 Tbs fresh orange juice

2½ cups flour

2 Tbs chopped orange zest

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup pearl sugar (see notes) 

1. In a large bowl, mix the butter, white sugar, maple sugar, salt, vanilla and egg, and whisk to incorporate. Add the orange juice and whisk again. Add 2 cups of the flour, orange zest, pecans and dried cranberries. Mix with a spatula, then knead briefly, adding the remaining ½ cup flour gradually, if needed.
2. Divide the dough into three portions. Roll each into a log about 1.6” (4 cm) thick, and about 9” (23cm) long, then roll it in the pearl sugar.
3. Wrap each log with wax paper and place on a tray. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours. To freeze the cookies for a longer period of time, place the frozen logs in a freezer bag, and squeeze out the air.
4. To bake: preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Line a cookies sheet pan with baking paper. Place a dough log on a cutting board, and cut with a sharp heavy knife, into slices, about 0.2” (0.5 cm) thick.
5. Bake, from frozen, for about 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden at the bottom and sides, and still pale on top. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, before transferring to a rack to cool completely.