Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies

Sugar and spice and everything nice in these festive cranberry chocolate chunk cookies made with brown butter!

We need to sit down and have a serious discussion. These cookies? Yea you need to make them, like right now. Don’t make excuses, just go to the store to buy any ingredients you don’t already have on hand and get your oven ready. Why am I so demanding? Because the holidays are just starting to creep up on us and I already think I found my favorite cookie of the season.

These cookies use fresh cranberries whereas usually cookie recipes use dried fruits. I have only made cookies two other times with fresh fruit (another with cranberries and one with blueberries) and they nearly caused the same reaction as these did. There must be some strange magic that happens when fresh fruit is used or my weakness for fruity desserts is showing. Yes, this peanut-butter-loving-fiend would have a difficult time deciding between a fruit or peanut butter dessert.

In addition to the cranberries there is browned butter, dark chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg. I think those last two spices were the real kicker, adding an especially festive feel to these cookies and making them smell irresistible while baking. Of course you can never go wrong with browned butter either. Just be warned, the dough does need to be chilled which is why you need to whip them up asap!

One year ago: Sweet Potato Pie Oat Bars

Three years ago: Secret Ingredient Sugar Cookies

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWN BUTTER COOKIES

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, washed and dried

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, when butter turns to an amber/light brown color, remove from heat immediately (should be able to smell the caramel flavor of the butter). Pour immediately into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Once butter has cooled, place in the large bowl of an electric mixer with sugars; beat on high speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla, mix on medium speed until well mixed.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; slowly add to wet ingredients with mixer on low speed; do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chunks and cranberries.
4. Chill dough for 24 hours for best results (minimum of 2 hours) before baking.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees, line baking sheets with parchment paper, and let dough sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
6. Scoop cookie dough with a medium cookie dough scoop onto prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cranberries have popped.
8. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Source: Adapted slightly from Keep It Sweet Desserts.