Sparkling Cranberry Gems
Coarse white sugar gives these cookies their sparkle; their relatively healthy content makes them gems! With less than half a teaspoon of fat per cookie, lower sugar content, plus loads of antioxidants from the cranberries, these tangy-sweet, mildly chewy treats are much less guilt-inducing than most cookies.
Read our blog about these cookies, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
Cookies
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred; or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) dried cranberries, packed
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into pats
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
Coating
scant 1/2 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) coarse white sparkling sugar
Place the flour and dried cranberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cranberries are coarsely shredded. Imagine a single dried cranberry cut into about 4 pieces: that’s your goal.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
Whisk together the flour/cranberry mixture, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the vanilla and butter, mixing until the butter is thoroughly distributed, but some pea-sized chunks still remain. Dribble in the milk while mixing; the dough will become cohesive.
Place the coarse sugar in a plastic bag; about 1-quart size should do.
Using a teaspoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop the dough by 1 3/4-teaspoonfuls (about 1 ¼" balls) into the bag, 6 or 8 at a time. Close the top of the bag, and gently shake to coat the balls with sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, and use the bottom of a glass to flatten them to about ¼" thick (about 1 ½" in diameter). Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake the cookies for 16 to 17 minutes, until they’re set and barely, BARELY beginning to brown around the very edge; the tops shouldn’t be brown at all. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan.
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size, 1 cookie (15g); Servings per Batch, 36;
amount per serving: Calories 60, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2g(3% DV), Saturated Fat 1g(6% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 5mg(2% DV), Sodium 30mg(1% DV), Total Carbohydrate 10g(3% DV), Dietary Fiber 1g(3% DV), Sugars 7g, Protein 1g, Vitamin A (2% DV), Vitamin C (0% DV), Calcium (2% DV), Iron (0% DV).
Reviews
02/05/2009
Amazing! Easy to make and incredibly tasty! My brother polished off the entire batch during the Superbowl! I made them with white flour (which worked just fine) and without the sweet/sour stuff (which I intend to try at some point!) They're almost as incredible as the fudge drop recipe!!!
03/26/2009
Easy yes, good yes, but not as cranberry as I expected, given the ratio of cranberries to flour. I used all-purpose and left out the sour crystals (didn't have them). They were about as cranberry as a generic cranberry muffin, but with a stronger cranberry aftertaste, which I liked. I guess I was expecting more tart.
I love the idea of the cookie though, so I'm thinking I'll tinker. Lemon juice instead of some of the milk, maybe? A little less butter? Hmmmm.
Less butter...no....this will affect the texture of your cookie. Lemon? We suggest lemon powder, extract or oil. Happy Baking!
Irene at KAF
06/11/2009
I LOVE these cookies. The sparkling sugar and sour and tart flavoring really make them exceptional. I'll be making these cookies often.
06/26/2009
These are very tasty and unique. Such a nice change from peanutbutter, oatmeal or cholate chip cookies. My boys really enjoyed them. Some substitutions I made due to necessity: used white whole wheat pastry flour and buttermilk instead of milk since ours was alll used up for cereal :-) Other than that followed recipe. Quick, easy and delish!
09/03/2009
These came out great! I rolled them in regular granulated sugar. I also used a vegetable shortening stick instead of butter. So pretty, too!
09/10/2009
Wonderful! And I was even missing the crystal sugar and sweet and tart....I just rolled the balled cookie in regular sugar before baking. And be careful not to overbake or they'll dry out (it's hard to tell by color, so just pull them out at the recommended time). Such a yummy quick simple recipe, especially if you love fruit. Everybody loved them!
11/18/2009
In the comments section of this recipe a "sweet and tart" ingredient was referred to. It wasn't listed on the recipe and I'm a bit confused by that. Can you explain?
Thanks for checking on this recipe. We no longer carry the sweet and tart flavor and have removed it from the recipe. If you happen to still have the flavor, you can add a few drops in with the sparkling sugar when coating the cookies. Happy Baking!
11/18/2009
I'm anxious to make these pretty gems, but according to comments from others who have tried them, there seems to be an ingredient missing in the printed recipe. Others hint about sweet/sour stuff, or sour crystals, or sparkling sugar and sour and tart flavoring. I don't see this anywhere in the recipe. I have citric acid crystals on hand. Will this accomplish the tart flavoring that's mentioned, and how much should I use?
Thanks for checking regarding the citric acid. This is not really a substitute we would recommend in the recipe. The cookies will still be delicious without the tart flavor.
11/19/2009
These gems are only 1 point on the Weight Watchers program and sooooo good!
11/19/2009
I love these cookies! They were super simple to make, and even the rolling in sugar went by quickly. I used a blender instead of food processor, so I ended up with very finely diced cranberries, making the cookies overall a nice squishy, chewy texture. You'd never think of the whole wheat except for the brown of the cookie and I love that there's very little sugar. One of my favorite KAF recipes so far.
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