If you are looking for a cookie that is a little off the beaten path you’ve come to the right cookie! The Cranberry Five Spice Cookie is a concoction by the famed baker/author Dorie Greenspan for her new “cookies for grownups” store called CookieBar in New York.
Dorie came up with a selection of cookies called “The Cocktail Collection“. These cookies are meant to be enjoyed with champagne, wine or cocktails. Perfect for entertaining, these cookies are tiny, simple and have a sweet-savory flavor that that appeals to the adult palate. Dorie offers four flavors in her Cocktail Collection and today I have baked the Cranberry 5 Spice Cocktail Cookie.
This tiny cookie (2 inches) is a flavor packed shortbread-style dough infused with the tart taste of cranberries and the exotic warmth of Chinese Five Spice Powder. Chinese Five Spice Powder is usually associated with savory Asian style cooking and is a rich combination of star anise, anise seed, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
These flavors pair wonderfully with the tart fresh cranberry to create a unique cookie flavor palate. Dorie suggests serving these cookies with a white wine like a Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. These cookies are equally as tasty with a nice cup of tea.
If you are ready for something completely different here is how you can make your own.
You can find the recipe here. Start by roughly chopping 1/2 cup of frozen cranberries. Toss the chopped cranberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, Chinese 5-Spice Powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until smooth and combined. Add the egg and beat for another minute until somewhat combined. Mixture may look curdled but that’s alright, it will come together with the addition of the flour mixture.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the cranberries and divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Place one ball of dough in between two sheets of parchment and roll out to 1/4″ thickness. Repeat with second dough ball and place rolled dough into freezer for around 30 minutes to an hour.
When rolled dough is frozen stiff, cut rounds with a 1 1/2″ to 2″ cookie cutter (I used a 2″ cookie cutter). Keep cutting out rounds and re-roll the scraps repeating the same freezing process.
Place the frozen cut rounds of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Rounds can be placed closely together as they do not spread much. I topped my cookies off with a sprinkle of coarse vanilla sanding sugar for a little extra sweetness, sparkle and crunch.
Bake cookies for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely before serving.
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