'Tis the Season for Cranberry!

'Tis the season for fresh cranberries. The tiny fruit packs a punch of tart and flavorful goodness and just tastes like Thanksgiving and the fall, doesn't it? During this time of year when cranberries are on sale and abundant, I always stash extra bags in my freezer. In fact, I bought four bags of them last night at my hometown grocery store!

Before the South Central Community Foundation awards night, I found a new way to use these colorful bursts of flavor - Frosted Cranberry Drop Cookies. I used frozen cranberries because I find it easier and less messy to chop the frozen variety using a food processor.

 

These are soft, moist cookies - more cake-like than crisp. The yummy Brown Butter Frosting enforces that cake-like reputation. And speaking of brown butter! Yes, it deserves an exclamation point. I've seen other recipes where brown butter was called for, and I thought, "Surely, it doesn't make that much of a difference." Simply put: I was wrong. It adds a whole other dimension to the frosting and is the perfect accompaniment to this flavorful cookie.

If you'd like to reinforce the orange flavor, you could add a bit of orange zest to the batter. 

For the cookie platter, I decorated the frosted cookies with dried cranberries on some and walnuts on others (see the photo at the top). This "dresses up" the finished cookie, making it fancy enough for holiday trays. Holiday sprinkles would also add a festive touch. I highly recommend them for your Thanksgiving or Christmas get-togethers. Or they'd make a perfect gift from your kitchen this holiday season.

Frosted Cranberry Drop Cookies

From Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. orange juice
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
Brown Butter Frosting
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 4 tbsp. hot water or milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add milk, egg and orange juice; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and nuts.

Use cookie scoop and put 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and then frost. (My cookie scoop size made 3.5 dozen cookies.)

Frosting:
Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes; transfer to small bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost the cookies.