Cranberry and white chocolate cookies

It’s probably heresy to admit to having a penchant for a Millie’s Cookie, but I find them irresistible. For me, they have the perfect texture, the perfect buttery taste and they’re also pleasing to the eye! I’ve been trying to perfect a homemade version for some time that has all of the same elements and I think if you compare a Millie’s Cookie side by side with one of these, you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference! For some strange reason, anything with cranberries tends to be associated with Christmas, but considering that you can get all of these ingredients all year round – and they taste just as amazing whichever time of the year you have them – this is a recipe that doesn’t acknowledge the calendar in my house!

 Ingredients

• 4½ ounces / 140g plain flour
• 2¾ ounces / 80g oats
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 4½ ounces / 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 3½ ounces / 100g caster sugar
• 2½ ounces / 75g dark brown soft sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of  vanilla extract
• 7 ounces / 200g white chocolate chips
• 3½ ounces / 100g dried cranberries

 Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (320°F / 160°C fan).

Line three baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine in the electric mixer with the paddle attachment.

Add the chocolate and cranberries and fold in by hand.

Divide the cookie dough into 27 balls, placing 9 on each tray in 3 lines of 3 (see Tips below).

Put in the oven for 15 minutes then set aside to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Tips

The mixture can be quite sticky. Before dividing the dough into 27 balls, a good tip is to put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Trivia

Native Indians in North America had long been using cranberries for culinary, medicinal, and clothes-dying purposes. They mixed the berries with deer meat to create pemmican, which helped preserve it for longer. When the Pilgrim Fathers arrived in Massachusetts in 1620 they found cranberries in abundance and it’s thought they may have eaten cranberries at the first Thanksgiving dinner. While the Pilgrim Fathers were the first migrants to discover the fruit it was Dutch and German settlers who gave it the name “crane berry” because the thought the flowers of the plant resembled the head and bill of a crane bird.