The thing I love most about recipes is the connections between people that they represent. In a similar way to plants in the garden that were given as cuttings by friends, I can’t help but think of the people who shared the recipe with me, who I shared it with, who I enjoyed eating the final result with, how our relationships have evolved and changed over time - that’s where the magic lies. Which is, I think, why people so often write blurbs like this on blog posts like this before sharing a recipe below - like this. Food is so much more than sustenance (although obviously that’s important too). I was reminded of this when I listened to a great episode of Kitchen Sisters recently about kimchi - I enjoyed it so much that I immediately re-listened. (I also love YouTube videos from korean families making kimchi, like this one.)
From kimchi to shortbreads - I was invited to a cookie exchange this weekend, and wanted to use up some of the 1.8kg bag of cranberries in the pantry. I shared this recipe on Instagram and Facebook yesterday, and thought I would share/save it here, too, partly for ease of finding and sharing it later on. This is a recipe that I came up with back when I listened to Martha’s Sirius channel while driving for work, when we lived in our old house in town (which I loved), when my love of gardening was just really getting going, and when iPhones were new and I didn’t have one.
I modified a shortbread recipe to use what I had on hand, and it was SO perfectly crumbly and buttery with brightness from the cranberries and had the subtlest coconut flavour - I was smitten. I made them every Christmas for a few years, and then somehow forgot about the recipe until I came across it again while preparing for a cookie exchange. It’s a quick and easy dough to put together, and can be refrigerated or frozen until you’re ready to slice and bake them. Since butter is so expensive these days, I appreciate how much you can taste it in these!
Cranberry Coconut Shortbread Cookies
1 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp (yes, that’s right) vanilla - if you love coconut, you can add a teaspoon of coconut extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Beat butter and sugar in a mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla.
Add flour and coconut, and mix until combined, scraping the sides if needed. Stir in the cranberries by hand with a wooden spoon; this keeps them intact.
Form the dough into logs approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze until needed, or refrigerate at least an hour and up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 325. Remove parchment, and slice logs into 1/4 inch thick rounds, and space approximately an inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. They slice best if the dough is well chilled. Bake for about 20 minutes total: 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes until just beginning to turn golden at the edges. Cool completely on cooling racks and store in an airtight container for up to a week, or they freeze well.
Makes about 2 dozen. The recipe can easily be doubled, or cookie sizes adjusted to your liking.
Enjoy!