Do you hear that?  Are they Santa’s bells?  Is it the excited squeals of children opening gifts?  No, it’s me – whooping it up at my computer as I type this.  When you think of a holiday cookie bake-off do you think of health?  Nutrition?  The LA Times did!  This year, my Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies were chosen as one of the ten winners of their Holiday Cookie Bake-Off!  After LA Times readers (and I know many of you were amongst them – thank you!) narrowed down the recipes from over 200, the 50 top recipes were brought to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School where they were baked up and judged on flavor, texture, richness, visual appearance and holiday spirit.  I am thrilled to say that my Healthier Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies made with Whole Wheat flour, raw sugar and flax meal met those stringent requirements and then exceeded them!  Here’s to health, nutrition…and cookies!  Cheers!

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Check out the December 15th LA Times Food Bake-off article: Nice Surprises in The Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off

 

And a mention from the folks at Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution: Christmas Cookie Bake-Off

 

 

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Healthier Cranberry Thumbprints

Ingredients:

For Cranberry Jam:

• 1 10 ounce package frozen cranberries

• 1/4 C water

• 1/3 C granulated sugar

• 1/2 tsp orange zest

• 1″ piece cinnamon stick

• 2 tbsp corn starch

For Cookies:

• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour

• 1 C all-purpose flour

• 2 tbsp ground flax meal

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

• 1 C raw granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp orange zest

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 C course raw sugar (for rolling)

• powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Directions:
For Cranberry Jam:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together water, sugar and orange zest.

• Add cranberries and cinnamon stick and bring to a low boil over medium heat.

• Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/8 c water and 2 tbsp corn starch.

• Add corn starch mixture to cranberries and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring well.

• Cool.

For Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and sea salt.

• In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy.

• Beat in egg, zest and juice.

• Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until combined.

• Roll dough into small balls, roll in raw sugar, then place on parchement lined baking sheets.

• Press and indentation into each ball.

• Refrigerate until hardened (20-30 minutes).

• Bake Cookies for 7 minutes.

• Remove from oven and using handle of wooden spoon, repress the indentation into the cookie.

• Continue baking 10 minutes more.

• Let cool.

To Assemble Cookies:

• Place a dollop of the cooled Cranberry Jam into the indentation of each cookie. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

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Until next week…