Cranberry White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Posted on November 16, 2023October 31, 2023 by Amanda Leave a comment

Holidays are coming!! and that means cookie season is upon us! December is meant for warm cookies straight from the oven with a hot drink on the couch… hiding from the cold and rain outside. I love a cookie that has some crunch, some sweet, and some salt, so why not add some tart into the mix! Featuring the cranberry white chocolate walnut cookie! Cranberries feel so fall and so holiday, so they’re perfect in a cookie.

Like most cookies, I recommend making your dough at least a day in advance of when you plan to bake them. They just end up being tastier and if you have too much, you can just freeze them. Instead of pre-scooping and freezing on a tray, I’ve been in the habit of squishing it all in a tray, portioning into squares, pre-slicing, and then popping it all into a reusable bag in the freezer. Later I can thaw slightly, break off the squares and then bake!

Ingredients:

Cranberries – a dried cranberry is perfect

Walnuts – Use whole walnuts or walnut pieces. They kind of end up breaking up more in the stand mixer regardless.

White chocolate – I used chips, but if you’re extra fancy, go for the chunks!

Cranberry White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Print Recipe

Salty, sweet, tart, crunchy, soft cookies, perfect for the holidays!

Course Dessert

Keyword cookies, cranberry, walnut, white chocolate

Servings 24 cookies

Equipment

1 Stand mixer recommended

Ingredients

1 cup butter softed
1 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup walnuts toasted
1 1/3 cup white chocolate
1 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy and smooth. Periodically stop the mixer to scrape the butter and sugar off of the paddle.
Add vanilla extract and salt and continue mixing.
Add eggs to the mixer one at a time and continue mixing.
In a separate bowl, mix together AP flour and baking soda until just combined. Don't worry if it's a little streaky, you'll continue mixing with the mix-ins.
Add in the mix-ins and mix just another few seconds until the mix-ins are distributed.
If you have time, pre-scoop your cookies and refrigerate for a few hours before baking.
Bake at 350F for ~12 minutes. Cookies will look a little puffy but will deflate after removed from the oven. Allow to cool ~10 minutes before enjoying.

More cookies? Try Kitchen Sink Cookies or Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

Cranberry Walnut Loaf

Posted on May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 by Amanda Leave a comment

When I lived in Arizona, there was a chain-ish bakery nearby where I would love to go for lunch and grab a sandwich on their fresh baked focaccia or ciabatta. They would sell their breads by the loaf and I’d always pick up a loaf of the cranberry walnut bread while I was there. I probably haven’t been back there since high school, but I still think about the tasty breads and pastries that I had there. Here’s my easy version of the cranberry walnut loaf I used to get there.

Cranberry Walnut Loaf

Print Recipe

Crusty bread with sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts

Cook Time 1

Ingredients

2 tsp dry active yeast
2 tsp honey
1 1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together yeast, honey, and warm water, ensuring that the yeast starts to bloom.
Add flour and salt and mix until fully combined.
Fold in dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
Allow to proof for ~2 hours, until dough has doubled.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Line a dutch oven with parchment and dust lightly with flour.
Shape dough into a ball and place in the dutch oven.
Dust the top of the dough with flour and score the top.
Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for another 40 minutes.
Allow loaf to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

More bread snacks: Cinnamon Apple Rhubarb Loaf & My Favorite Focaccia

Pumpkin Walnut Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Posted on December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 by Amanda Leave a comment

I’ve exhausted my pumpkin resources for the year, so this will (sadly) most likely be the last pumpkin recipe for a while. Might as well end it on something big and extravagant like a multi-layer pumpkin cake! There’s a restaurant near me that have serve absolutely massive cakes. Definitely something straight from Matilda. They’re two layers and just so impressive. Each cake layer has got to be at least 4 inches, so the cake with the frosting pushes a full foot in height. I don’t have the cake pans to make a cake 4 inches thick and 2 feet in diameter (and it’s probably a a good thing that I cannot make a cake that large, who would eat it all?). For a normal sized gathering, my cake is much more reasonably sized.

Ingredients

Pumpkin – I like using fresh pumpkin! You can make your own using my recipe, Homemade Pumpkin Puree.

Sugar – This cake is not too sweet, just enough!

Oil – I use vegetable oil in this recipe. It’s much easier to mix into a batter and makes a really moist batter. Also can I say it’s slightly healthier than butter?

Pumpkin Walnut Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Print Recipe

A semi-fancy cake for any fall gathering.

Course Dessert

Keyword cake, chocolate, hazelnut, pumpkin, walnut

Equipment

2 cake pans 10-inch

Ingredients

Cake

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1.5 cups oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
3.5 cups flour all-purpose
3 tsp baking soda

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Other toppings

1 cup hazelnut spread
1 cup walnuts toasted

Instructions

Mix together eggs, sugars, salt, oil, pumpkin and baking spices until well combined.
After no lumps remain, add all-purpose flour and baking powder, mixing until just combined.
Spray baking pans with non-stick spray and evenly distribute batter into pans.
Bake at 350F for ~45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
If baking ahead, the cakes can be removed from the pans, wrapped in plastic, and then placed in the freezer for easier handling when it's time to assemble. Do not assemble the cake until the cake layers have been fully cooled.
To make the whipped cream, add the heavy cream, salt and sugar to a mixer or mix by hand until stiff peaks are achieved.
Assemble the cake in the following order:
1st layer of cake, hazelnut spread, half of the toasted walnuts, half of the whipped cream, 2nd layer of cake, rest of the whipped cream, and rest of the walnuts
Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

Some other pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Basque Burnt Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.