This is a Gourmet Favorite Cookie from December 2006

This is my favorite cookie ever – so delicate and pretty and the blend of tastes is just perfect.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups / 192 grams of flour
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• ¾ cup / 170 grams of unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup plus 2 TBSPs / 90 grams white sugar
• zest of one washed organic orange, grated very finely
• ¼ cup / 30 grams of finely chopped pistachios
• 1/3 cup / 50 grams of dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 large egg
• red and green decorating sugar – somewhat coarser

Putting it all together:

• In a bowl stir together flour, cinnamon and salt.
• In another large bowl, beat the white sugar, butter, and orange zest with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough looks like crumble. Add cranberries and pistachios and mix again thoroughly.
• Cut 2 large pieces of wax paper and lay them on the counter.
• Pour ½ the dough onto each piece of wax paper. Starting with one sheet, gather and squeeze the dough so that it comes together. Form a log of about 1 ½ in / 3,8 cm in diameter. Use the wax paper and your hands to make the log “square”. Wrap completely and place in the fridge until very firm at least 2 hours.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough.
• After 2 hours remove the dough from the fridge. You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in plastic wrapping covered in foil for 1 month. Thaw in the fridge just until dough can be cut.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit / 170 degree Celsius. Cover 1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly beat the 1 egg in a small bowl.
• Unpack one log of dough pushing it to one side of the wax paper – brush the log with the beaten egg on all sides but the ends. Sprinkle decorating sugar of one color onto the “clean side” of the wax paper – carefully rub the log in it and sprinkle more over the log, turning and pressing to cover.
• Place the log on a chopping board and using a sharp knife, cut the log into equal slices of approx ¼ inch / 0,6 cm thickness. Turn the log over while cutting if necessary to ensure that you keep the square shape.
• Place the slices ¼ in / 0,6 cm apart on the parchment paper covered baking sheet.
• Repeat with other dough half and using the other colored decorating sugar – I use red and green.
• Bake for 15 minutes max., checking and turning the sheet if necessary to ensure even baking – the cookies shouldn’t become too dark but rather have golden edges.
• When finished, transfer the cookies carefully to a rack for complete cooling, if they have run somewhat together on the sheet while baking, run a sharp knife between them before transferring them or they will break.

Makes 36-40 cookies