Cranberry Orange Thumbprint Cookies

CRANBERRY ORANGE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Everyone loves a nice thumbprint cookie. They’re just so cute. 🥰

There’s a billion flavors and styles to make, but we’re approaching Fall holiday season, so you know I’m going for some cranberry orange spice. I’m not a huge fan of the cranberry sauce blob cylinders from the can, but homemade cranberry sauce is very divine. What I’ve made here is more of a preserve/jam. You will need a thick jam so that it sits nice in the thumbprint of the cookie and doesn’t spill out from being too thin.

The star of the cranberry jam is definitely brown sugar from Heinen’s, and fresh orange juice.

To make the cranberry orange jam ahead of time, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 10 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries

• 1 orange, zested

• 1 orange, (same one zested), juice from it

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon corn starch

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove

• 1/2 teaspoon all spice

Instructions for Cranberry Orange Jam

In a sauce pan, add the cranberries, bring to a boil with the orange juice, zest and brown sugar then reduce to simmer.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Set aside in a jar or bowl to cool, and then keep in fridge until ready for baking.

Ingredients for cookies

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 egg, room temp

• 3 tablespoons skim milk, (any milk works)

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove

• 1/2 teaspoon all spice

Orange Sugar

• ½ cup cane raw sugar (light brown in color)

• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Instructions for Cookies

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and granulated sugar together using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat those into the batter then pour in the milk and white vinegar. Stir until combined.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients the wet ingredients, mixing until completely incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper, and set aside.

Use a tablespoon measurer to scoop out the dough.

Roll the dough into balls using your hands.

Place the rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet. They do not need to be spaced out because they will be chilling on this sheet pan, not baking.

When all the dough has been rolled into balls, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Mix the filling

In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce with the orange zest.

With a spoon, stir until the ingredients are incorporated.

Refrigerate until time to use.

Bake the cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

In a medium-sized glass bowl, combine the granulated sugar and orange zest to make the orange sugar.

Remove the chilled dough balls from the refrigerator.

Transfer the chilled dough into the orange sugar and toss until coated.

Place the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1-2" apart.

Repeat the process until all the cookie dough balls are coated in orange sugar and placed on the sheet pan.

Bake the dough for 8 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a kitchen instrument, like the back of a cookie scooper or the non-muddling end of a muddler, to press “thumbprints” into the warm cookies.

Scoop a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each indention. (Some will be larger or smaller, depending on how you make the indention. Do not worry about them all being uniform.)

Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes, then remove from the oven. I did it for 8, depending on amount of trays in the oven.

Cool completely on a wire cooling rack before serving.