Cream Cheese Cranberry-Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
I like to think of these as luxury pillows for chipmunks. I think the chipmunks would appreciate their delicate softness and the fact they are made in part with almond flour. And cream cheese. And full of cranberry, orange and chocolate chips.
If the chipmunk motif doesn’t do it for you, maybe you’d prefer to think of them as little baby scones?
Either way, these are elegant chocolate chip cookies. The cream cheese and almond flour ensure the cookies stay oh-so soft and light. And hey! Lower in carbs than all-wheat cookies and full of heart-healthy fats. Well, the almonds do that. Consider it balance with the butter and cream cheese.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (113 grams), softened and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup (138 grams) granulated sugar
1 orange
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup (163 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (110 grams) almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries (77 grams)
3/4 to 1 cup (150 to 200 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the white flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt.
Cream the butter and cream cheese together with a hand/stand mixer until you can’t tell one from the other. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sugar, then zest the orange over the bowl to ensure the oils and skin all make it into the mixture. Cream for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the whole egg and yolk, plus the vanilla and mix until blended.
Have you scraped down the sides?
Add the flours and mix until just blended. Pour in the dried cranberries and chocolate chips and stir by hand. Refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Drop by teaspoons or tablespoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. It all depends on what size cookie you wish. With a back of an ever-so-damp spoon, flatten the top of the cookie slightly to ensure it bake through.
Cook for 10-13 minutes, until light golden. The bottoms can burn quite easily, so don’t get distracted by doomscrolling Twitter. And yes, I’m speaking from experience. It’s never worth it.
Let cool on a rack.
