Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My birthday now has come and past.  That elusive day in the year, one you wait for 364 days and then it's gone, 364 more.  Your birthday is one day all about you.  It always makes me so uncomfortable, people singing me songs and everyone watching me open gifts, the excitement you have to show, an uncharacteristic response, even if you are excited.  Center stage is not a natural position for me to be in.  Maybe everyone feels this way, it may just come with the territory, a celebration of another year we've all been together.  

Two decades, I suppose is a little something to celebrate.  In another decade I'll be dreading the day, or at least this is what I've seen.  I can't even imagine myself in two years, never mind ten.  How crazy will it be to look back as I turn thirty and remember my life before...whatever happens between now and then.

I did make a birthday cake, a chocolate one.  I didn't like it and it definitely didn't photograph well.  So I made these cookies for you instead.  For Shane if I'm being honest.  He's been asking for cookies for several days and I've been holding out, so here they are.

Cranberry white chocolate chunk cookies 

Makes 18

125 g (1/2 c) unsalted butter, room temperature
100 g (1/2 c) white sugar
100 g (1/2 c) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
150 g (1 1/4 c) ap flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c old fashioned oats
3/4 c white chocolate chunks
1 c cranberries, dried

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until smooth.  Add in egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (if you used unsalted butter).  Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until incorporated.

Fold in the oats, chopped chocolate and cranberries.  Shape the dough into 2-3 Tbsp balls and place on baking sheet, only 6 or 8 on a sheet.  (They spread quite a bit).  Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble Pie

Cranberries. Small, round balls of bouncy joy.  (You knew they bounced, right?)  Fresh cranberries are seldom seen outside November/December and so, are indicative of the holiday season and nothing else for me.  They make lovely decorations, but they make even better eats.  I put them in some awesome scones and made a delicious sauce, but they really seemed to shine in this apple-cranberry crumble pie.  This is the most perfect apple pie I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating, let alone making.  I know, I said I already have my apple pie just a few months ago, and it is the same crust, but the filling is even more perfect and the crumb topping is so much more flavourful and easier to eat than a top crust.  

The filling is perfectly cooked to give a great consistency. Not to goopy, not to thick.  It’s got a bit of cinnamon in it and the lemon really brightens it up.  The cranberries make for a beautiful foil to the sweet apples.  The crumb topping is just how it should be, nutty, buttery and cinnamony.  This pie evokes a familiar fall scent, colour and taste that is perfect for Thanksgiving.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble Pie

Adapted from Gourmet, Thanksgiving Issue, November 2009

Crust:

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 t salt

1 c cold butter, cubed

1/4 c ice water

3 T sour cream (I used yogurt)

Crumble Topping:

3/4 c flour

1/4 c brown sugar (I used dark)

1/2 t cinnamon

1/8 t salt (leave out if you use salted butter)
4 T unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 c pecans, coarsely chopped (I used walnuts)

Filling:

2 lb firm apples (about 5), peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I used honeycrisp)

8 oz of fresh or frozen not thawed cranberries

1/2 c brown sugar 

3 T flour

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

2 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 c unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces

To make crust: in a large bowl, whisk flour with salt.  Using a pastry blender cut in butter until there are only fine crumbs with a few larger pieces.

In a liquid measure whisk water in with sour cream.  Drizzle over flour mixture and toss briefly with a fork adding a little more water if necessary until ragged dough forms.

Divide dough in half and press into 2 disks, wrap.  Refrigerate until chilled, 30 minutes or longer.

For the topping, stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.  Blend in butter with your fingertips until large clumps form, this stir in nuts.  Refrigerate until needed.  

For the filling, stir together apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl.

To assemble pie preheat oven to 425 F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Roll out pie dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin to around 13 inches, then fit to the plate.  Trim the excess, leaving a 1/2 inch overhand, then fold the overhand under and crimp decoratively.  Transfer fruit filling to pie shell and dot with butter.  Loosely cover with foil and bake until apple droop slightly, about 30 minutes.  Reduce oven temp to 375 F and sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake, uncovered, until crumble is browned, filling is bubbly and apples are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool completely.  

I topped mine with maple whipped cream.