Description
Delightful cranberry lemon cookies blend tangy citrus with sweet berries in a perfect holiday treat. Crisp edges and tender centers make these cookies irresistible for festive gatherings and cozy winter afternoons with loved ones.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (290g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsps lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 ½ cups (150g) fresh cranberries, diced
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Zest Infusion: Massage lemon zest into granulated sugar, releasing an aromatic citrus essence that will permeate the entire cookie mixture.
- Butter Transformation: Utilize an electric mixer to cream lemon-sugar blend with softened butter, whipping until the texture becomes cloud-like and voluminous.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Blend egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, ensuring a smooth, homogeneous base with consistent flavor distribution.
- Dry Ingredient Marriage: Gently fold flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients, mixing at low speed to preserve the dough’s delicate structure.
- Cranberry Incorporation: Delicately fold diced cranberries throughout the dough, ensuring an even dispersion for balanced flavor in every bite.
- Dough Conditioning: Envelop the prepared dough and chill for 30 minutes, allowing ingredients to meld and solidify, enhancing structural integrity and flavor complexity.
- Thermal Preparation: Heat oven to 350F (175C), lining baking sheets with parchment paper to facilitate effortless release and uniform browning.
- Portioning and Placement: Sculpt chilled dough into uniform tablespoon-sized spheres, positioning them with strategic spacing to accommodate natural spreading.
- Baking Alchemy: Bake until cookie edges transform to a golden amber, approximately 13-15 minutes, signaling perfect doneness and crisp exterior.
- Cooling and Glazing: Transfer baked cookies to a wire rack, then create a silky lemon glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice until achieving a luxurious, drizzleable consistency.
- Final Flourish: Artfully cascade the lemon glaze across cooled cookies, allowing it to set into a crystalline finish that elevates both visual appeal and flavor profile.
Notes
- Zest Technique: Massage lemon zest into sugar thoroughly to release maximum citrus oils and enhance overall flavor profile.
- Butter Creaming: Whip butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes to create maximum airiness, ensuring light and fluffy cookie texture.
- Chilling Importance: Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes to prevent cookie spread and concentrate flavor complexity.
- Glaze Consistency: Adjust lemon glaze by adding powdered sugar or lemon juice gradually to achieve perfect drizzling thickness without becoming too runny or thick.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 23
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg