Cranberry Orange Cookies

On New Year's Day, two of my cousins and my little brother shared dinner with us at our house (a seriously awesome way to kick off 2013).  Because I had half a bag of cranberries leftover from making neighbor gifts, I tried making some cranberry orange cookies.  They ended up being much more delicious than most of my try-a-random-recipe experiments, and there's been a request for the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here.  I was going to take a picture or two, but the cookies weren't around long enough for me to do so.  Given that the majority of my blog readership has seen (and eaten) the cookies, though, and all of you know what cookies generally look like, hopefully that's ok.

1 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c butter or margarine, room temperature
Zest and juice from one orange
1 egg
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c chopped fresh cranberries (the recipe book says frozen ones work too, but not dried)
1 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375.  Beat sugars, butter, orange peel, orange juice, and egg.  Add flour, soda, and salt. Stir in cranberries and nuts.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls, two inches apart, and bake 12 to 14 minutes, until edges just start to turn gold.  Remove to wire rack to cool.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker Annual Recipes 2008.

Yay!!

As you may be able to tell by the new layout of my blog, which manages to be cute and use my favorite colors (black, teal, and purple) without being overly girly, my brother rocks. Especially given the fact that during the creative process, I must have changed my mind about a hundred-million times. I would pontificate further on his awesomeness, but I just finished a reading assignment of death, and tend not to be at my most eloquent at 2:16 in the morning after reading over 50 pages on federalism, preemption, and jurisdiction.

Thank you, Bronson! I definitely owe you one.