I’ll never pass up an opportunity to participate in a holiday cookie exchange, so when The Chopping Block revealed we were hosting an annual employee cookie swap in December I thought it was the perfect time to pull out one of my favorite cookie recipes.
Originally this recipe was a chocolate peppermint crackle cookie, a fairly common (albeit lovely) combination for the wintery holidays. I decided to swap out peppermint for two reasons:
- I love homemade cranberry sauce (it's one my top three dishes at Thanksgiving).
- I had an extra bag of cranberries in my fridge because I always buy one too many. Don't worry though, this recipe can also be made with dried cranberries if you are the type of person who only bought what you needed during Thanksgiving shopping.
There are a few things to know about this recipe. First, it takes some time. The chilling process is important because it prevents the cookie from spreading too much during baking, resulting in a beautifully plump rounded top and a solid crackle.
Also, because it’s a fairly wet dough to start, the chilling process makes it easier to handle. Second, it’s vegan! Apple sauce is a magical ingredient in vegan baking because it provides the moisture and binding properties that eggs do. With that in mind, let’s get baking.
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Chocolate Cranberry Crackle Cookies
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Makes: 36 cookies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Inactive time: 4 hours
Total time: 5 hours
For the cranberry sauce:
12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of one orange
For the cookie dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
3/4 cup apple sauce
Prepared cranberry sauce (or 1.5 cup dried cranberries)
For the crackle:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1. Prepare the cranberry sauce: Heat the cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the cranberries have popped and the mixture becomes syrupy and thick, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, mix together cocoa powder, granulated sugar, apple sauce and oil until well blended.
4. Add the cranberry sauce in two batches, tasting in between. Some batches of cranberries are more tart than others, so this is a good place to decide whether to add the second half (I add all of it if because I love cranberry flavor!). If you’re using dried cranberries, toss them in flour to prevent them from sinking and fold them in now.
5. Add the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time and mix until just combined. The batter will resemble a thick brownie batter.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that it’s slightly touching the batter, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. It can also be put in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to speed up the process.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Place the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in two separate bowls.
9. Remove the chilled dough and portion it into 36 balls, approximately 1 Tablespoon each.
10. Toss the dough balls into the granulated sugar followed by the powdered sugar, and place them on the prepared sheet trays at least 2 inches apart.
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve these at your next holiday party or as a treat for the family. If you’re craving the classic chocolate-peppermint combo, check out Chef Sara’s recipe for hot cocoa peppermint sandwich cookies.
Looking to learn more baking and cooking techniques? January and February classes are now live! Check out our class calendar for details.
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Chocolate Cranberry Crackle Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- Zest of one orange
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 3/4 cup apple sauce
- Prepared cranberry sauce (or 1.5 cup dried cranberries)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat until most of the cranberries have popped and the mixture becomes syrupy and thick, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, mix together cocoa powder, granulated sugar, apple sauce and oil until well blended.
- Add the cranberry sauce in two batches, tasting in between. Some batches of cranberries are more tart than others, so this is a good place to decide whether to add the second half (I add all of it if because I love cranberry flavor!). If you’re using dried cranberries, toss them in flour to prevent them from sinking and fold them in now.
- Add the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time and mix until just combined. The batter will resemble a thick brownie batter.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that it’s slightly touching the batter, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. It can also be put in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to speed up the process.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in two separate bowls.
- Remove the chilled dough and portion it into 36 balls, approximately 1 Tablespoon each.
- Toss the dough balls into the granulated sugar followed by the powdered sugar, and place them on the prepared sheet trays at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
