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View Full Version : Irresistible: Coconut-Cranberry Chews (Sunset Dec. 01)


KValley
12-04-2004, 01:52 PM
These are rich, buttery orange-scented delights! I was pretty generous with the grated orange peel- allowing zest to get right in there. These taste and look very Christmas-y- - very pale gold with red cranberries, coconut a little crispy on the edges.

A couple of caveats: I formed 1" balls as called for, but noticed the first batch wasn't flattening out. I pressed them down as they were baking, and flattened out the rest of the batches before putting into the oven. This solved the problem. I didn't get the smooth edges as the picture shows, but that's okay.

I baked these on cookies sheets lined with parchment paper- no pre-greasing with butter.

These cookies may seem really small, but they are so rich, I think the portion is just right. My attempt yielded roughly 6 dozen.

I prefer a chewier cookie- the baking time in my gas oven was 12-13 minutes per batch- more time than the recipe calls for- and they are still soft.

Now, let's see if they last the weekend- they're supposed to be for a luncheon on Monday and hopefully for a work potluck Wednesday!

Coconut-Cranberry Chews SUNSET DECEMBER 01

Nancy Jamison, Woodside, CA

Nancy Jamison was right when she wrote us that these cookies are addictive. We loved their combination of coconut, cranberries, and orange. In fact, these straightforward, tasty rounds are everything a holiday cookie should be. The mixture will look dry until it comes together as a dough.

Important: If it's too crumbly to form into balls, the dough needs to be mixed longer; it should be a smooth, homogeneous mass.
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

MAKES: About 6 dozen cookies

About 1 1/2 cups (3/4 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 cups butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla until smooth.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes (see note at left). Mix in cranberries and coconut.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

4. Bake in a 350° regular or convection oven until cookie edges just begin to brown, 8 to 11 minutes (shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie; longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie). If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Per cookie: 92 cal., 45% (41 cal.) from fat; 0.7 g protein; 4.5 g fat (2.8 g sat.); 12 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 58 mg sodium; 10 mg chol.

MaryH
12-04-2004, 01:57 PM
Oooh, Julie I'm thinking you could easily substitute the leftover mashed cranberries from the cranberry liquer here. I would just cut back a little on the butter because they will be moister than dried cranberries.

Aubergine
12-04-2004, 02:08 PM
woo hoo, another coconut recipe! thank you!

blazedog
12-05-2004, 05:20 PM
I have been meaning to make this recipe since I borrowed the magazine from a friend in 2001 -- your post sprung (sprang?) me into action and thank godness you had posted as I would have thought there was a typo because of the lack of any egg -- I can't recall any cookie recipe I've made with no eggs but the dough seemed similar to other cookie doughs -- my butter was extremely soft and I creamed for a long period of time.

I've frozen the dough but the dough tasted delicious -- as I was eating the leftovers from the KA paddle, I thought that I always do this despite the dire warnings on raw eggs but this time I could sample the batter with impunity -- not that I've ever gotten sick from cookie batter:D

Linda in MO
12-05-2004, 08:15 PM
Oooh, these look yummy!!!

KValley
12-06-2004, 08:54 AM
Originally posted by blazedog
My butter was extremely soft and I creamed for a long period of time.

Maybe we should rename this recipe "Tantric Chews" :p :D
i simply couldn't resist...

Delanl
12-16-2004, 06:23 AM
I made a half batch of these last night and they are delish!:) I was a little nervous going into it, as I read all the notes on Sunset's site about mixing the dough properly, etc. But, I forged on and my dough came together beautifully! I was so happy until I put the first batch in the oven and they began to spread very thin and almost started to burn along the edges, while the middle looked uncooked.

I'm sorry to say, but my PMS took over and I threw them in the garbage!:o I started on another sheet, made them a little bigger and they came out MUCH better! I tasted one and they are divine! Love the hint of orange in there. They still don't look as good as the picture though!:rolleyes:

Sorry for the long post!:D Thanks for sharing KValley!

doggerham
12-16-2004, 07:41 AM
I would like to read Sunset's instructions about this cookie. Does anyone have an access code I may use?

TIA
Amy

Delanl
12-16-2004, 07:46 AM
I believe its SPARKLE this month.

gertdog
12-16-2004, 08:01 AM
I made these when the recipe first came out, as did a friend. We both liked them, but both had a lot of trouble with the dough. I subscribe to Sunset, and a few issues later they printed a note saying they'd received a ton of questions about the recipe because so many people had problems with it. Here are the additional tips that they published in the follow-up issue (I found them on the website by clicking "More about this" in the recipe intro):

TIPS
Coconut-Cranberry Chews

This recipe makes an unusually heavy dough that appears dry and crumbly at the beginning of mixing time, so some of our readers encountered problems mixing the dough thoroughly. These pointers should help:

When measuring the ingredients, be sure to spoon the flour into a cup and level it off with a knife rather than scooping, which tends to pack the flour into the measuring cup. It will make a big difference with these cookies

This dough requires a heavy duty mixer to fully incorporate it into a smooth mass. If the dough is not thoroughly mixed, it will be difficult to form into balls, and might not spread out in the oven.

Starting with soft butter will make it easier to mix the dough thoroughly (in cold weather you can microwave the butter for a few seconds to soften it, or let it soften next to or on top of the preheating oven). If you are using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar together with the mixer, and then work in the flour with a heavy wooden spoon. You may need to knead the dough by hand until it comes together without feeling crumbly.

If the dough has been thoroughly mixed, the cookies will spread out toward the end of baking time. Make sure your oven is at the correct temperature (it’s a good idea to check the temperature with a thermometer on a middle rack). If they have not spread out in 11 minutes, check them again after 1 or 2 minutes.

blazedog
12-16-2004, 08:03 AM
These aren't a very attractive cookie -- at least they didn't turn out that way for me:)

I didn't think they were fantastic either but perhaps it's because I'm not a super fan of macaroons and these were basically a VERY rich variant -- butter, coconut and sugar being the main ingredients with some orange and of course the cranberries.

I much prefer the combination of chocolate, cranberries in the White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams.

I don't think I would make these again and I certainly don't understand how these were judged the BEST of the BEST by Sunset.

Not a terrible cookie but certainly not one of the best cookies I made this season.

KValley
12-16-2004, 08:27 AM
wow Stephanie- I think if I'd seen the follow-up comments Sunset printed about this recipe, I would have been completely turned off from even attempting it! But I hope the tips are helpful if the dough turns out to be mucky for others.

I've never been an adept cookie maker and one of the things I loved about these was how simple and seemingly-foolproof they are. Ignorance is bliss!

Other than having to press down the cookies to flatten them pre-baking, I didn't have any problems with this dough. I never scoop my flour, so perhaps that helped. I used a electric hand mixer and mixed until the dough was smooth-which did take about 5 minutes.

IMHO I think it would be better to flatten the balls a bit before baking rather than risk over-baking by waiting for the cookies to flatten, as Sunset suggests. BWDOIK! Just prefer a softer cookie, moi.

blazedog- I'm sorry these didn't work for you! At least you enjoyed the raw dough. ;) I hope your disappointment won't turn others away from giving them a try- at least those who do like coconut-infused treats. I'll follow-up to say that they vanished at work and one of my colleagues said these were the best cookies she'd ever tasted. :)

doggerham
12-16-2004, 08:35 AM
Wow! Thanks for all the great information. Now to give them a try....