It was cold Saturday morning, so I decided to do a little baking. I wanted to create a new cookie recipe because I love coming up with my own ideas.
I think I was looking to establish a new cookie tradition in our home and these Christmas Zest Cookies were a success. Of course, coming up with a name took a few hours in addition to several bites.
These cookies went above and beyond my expectations and it's another great example of just putting things together to see what happens.
This is an easy recipe with little effort to make.
Christmas Zest Cookies Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup white chocolate
- 1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
How to Make and Bake
Using a mixer blend the butter, eggs and light brown sugar. Mix until slightly creamy then add orange zest, ginger, vanilla, cornstarch, and baking powder then blend in flour.By hand fold in additional ingredients with a wooden spoon, white chocolate, craisins and sliced almonds. Take a teaspoon with a generous amount of dough and drop onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
These cookies are wonderful when served warm with tea or cool with coffee. Either way they are a delight and taste like Christmas with every bite.
Robert and I have tried to describe the flavor, but it was difficult.
We came up with, at first you taste the zest, followed by an accent of ginger but when you hit the dried cranberries it's like a fruity sense of goodness.
Then the white chocolate softens everything together with a crunch of almond. Together we named it the Christmas Zest Cookie, a simple treat that everyone will enjoy.
Be the good,
Carole West
You may also like my Creamy Lemon Honey Bar Recipe here.
Side Note: I may have added just a little bit more than one tsp. of orange zest. I have a new zester and what a great kitchen gadget compared to what I had been using. Look for my review on that product in January.
