Mumbai is finally feeling like Winter has arrived! The early mornings are of the kind that make you want to get cozy in your blanket and not leave the bed at all. The days are lazy with no school, studies or anything at all to bother about...Vacations!! And in the cold chilly evenings, i'm left craving for something hot and yummy. At such times I would usually turn to my Mother, the best cook in the whole wide world. But today was different.
  I was nice and cozy in a blanket reading an Agatha Christie book and I wanted some hot beverage. Coffee seemed like the obvious choice but then I thought of chocolate and how nice it would be to have some hot chocolate..not hot cocoa ..hot chocolate!
  I've never been to a coffee shop that serves hot chocolate which tastes as good as their menu promises, except Theobroma, they serve some awesome hot chocolate! But that isn't close to where I reside. It was time I made my own Hot Chocolate..with Real Chocolate not Cocoa.

Alrighty then!. I'm finally posting my first ever recipe post!! Yay me!

 I decided upon this particular cookie recipe when a friend suggested it to me. I luckily had some cranberries on hand and these seemed like the perfect cookies for the festive season and also my first post :D The cookies are incredibly easy to make and I'm happy about the way they turned out.

 

 Now now, what I've seen of other similar cookie recipes, the cookies I've made don't look half as good as those. I'll give these dearies another go soon and let you know how they turn out. For now, I'm happy with the way they look and taste. :)

 The cookies taste refreshingly orange and the dried cranberries give it a wonderful tangy flavor and also lend a nice texture to the otherwise plain cookie.

ORANGE CRANBERRY COOKIES

70 g white sugar
100 g granulated brown sugar
57 g butter, softened (not melted!)
1 medium sized egg
Juice of one medium sized orange
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use orange extract if at hand)
1 tsp orange zest
188 g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 salt
120 g dried cranberries

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F). Line baking tray with parchment paper.
2) Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Stir in the egg, orange juice, vanilla extract (or orange extract) and orange zest. Stir until well incorporated .

3) Sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold into the orange mixture until just incorporated. Do not overwork.

4) Fold in the dried cranberries. Add as many or as little as you like. I added a cup full.

5) Drop the cookie dough on the prepared parchment about 2 inches apart.

6) Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



NOTE:

 * Ensure that the cookies have enough space between them as they will spread and rise while baking.  
 * The cookies will feel soft when only browned at the edges. they are supposed to be that way. They will firm up once cooled.
 * The cookies have a cakey texture so that isn't anything to worry about.
 * I baked my cookies for a tab bit longer and hence they look a shade or two darker than they are supposed to be. Do bake them longer if you want them crunchy but there is a great probability of them burning sooner than crisping.


I hope you enjoy making these cookies. Let me know how they turn out for you in comments sections.