Cranberry Pecan Cookies

Christmas Day 2023 and I want to set this down before the day is fully over.

Christmas Eve at the Clarkes: Debbie's ham, seventeen people, Roy's football game audible from the next room, one of the brothers under the table wrestling with the dog, the sweet tea by the gallon, the casseroles lined up along the counter. I was part of it without effort this year. Not a guest. Not someone learning how to be there. Just there.

Christmas morning at Gloria's: I was there by eight with the French toast casserole ready to go in the oven and the Yule log on a cake stand covered in plastic wrap. Tyler was there by eight-thirty. James was in his chair. Gloria was in her new slippers. We made breakfast and Tyler carved the French toast casserole which made him laugh because it is not a thing you carve and I told him it is the procedure and he deferred to the procedure.

After breakfast we opened gifts. Gloria opened her wool throw and put it on immediately. She got up to hug me with it around her shoulders and she said: thank you, baby. That word, the first time she called me baby, was when I was fourteen and I had made something in the kitchen incorrectly and she said come here, baby, let me show you. I have been baby to her for eleven years. I hope I am baby to her for the rest of her life.

Merry Christmas, 2023. I am where I am supposed to be.

I have been making these Cranberry Pecan Cookies every Christmas for years now — they travel well, they hold overnight, and there is something about the red of the cranberries on a holiday table that feels exactly right. This year I tucked a tin of them beside the Yule log when I arrived at Gloria’s, and by the time the French toast casserole came out of the oven, half of them were gone. That is the highest compliment a cookie can receive. If you are looking for something to bring to the people who have made room for you at their table, this is it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups dried cranberries
1 cup roughly chopped toasted pecans

Instructions

Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Fold in mix-ins. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dried cranberries and toasted pecans until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Scoop. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cranberry Pecan Cookies — The Ones I Brought to Christmas Morning