Cranberry, nut and chocolate cookies

These are thank you cookies or as you say in German, danke cookies. Rather than doing the shop-bought stuff I like to give people all sorts of homemade gifts, especially edible ones such as cookies, sweets and savoury biscuits. I do this because it is the kind of present I would like to receive too, something people have put time and effort behind, from the buying the ingredients to making the wrapping look nice, it’s a process I love. 

Before I took maternity leave I thought a lot about bringing a treat to the people I work with. I work in social services with a lot of adolescents, especially girls, so what do girls love most? Sweet things.

So I decided on this recipe, it is only the second time I make it, the first was a couple of years ago when I bought my sister-in-law a nice glass jar. But it looked so empty so I made a batch of these to go with it. At the time I had the recipe on a little handwritten note but unfortunately I have misplaced it. So on this recipe I used both white and dark chocolate, Brazil nuts and cranberries. But you can use your creativity and add your own flavours. These are the best because they are crunchy on the outside but remain moist in the middle.

Cranberry, nut and chocolate cookies

225g butter, room temperature

100g caster sugar

220g brown sugar

Vanilla pod, seeds scrapped or 1 tsp vanilla extract

2 small eggs

310g plain flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp salt

75g dark chocolate, chopped

75g white chocolate, chopped

50g Brazil nuts, chopped

50g dried cranberries, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Beat the butter and both sugars with an electric whisk until pale. Add the eggs and vanilla

2. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and bicarbonate. Add the dry mixture to the wet slowly until both are totally incorporated. Finally add the nut, cranberries and chocolates.

3. On a baking tray lined with baking parchment spoon the dough leaving a big gap between the doughs as they spread a considerable amount. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Let it cool on a rack