Bake or Break

Cranberry-Coconut Chocolate Cookies

Baking ideas mostly come from all the places you'd think - a dessert in a restaurant or bakery, an idea about a unique ingredient, a desire to reproduce a favorite childhood flavor. Sometimes, though, I get baking inspiration from some less than obvious places. In the case of these cookies, I was inspired by a snack I had the other day. The snack in question was a lovely combination of chocolate chips, coconut, and dried cranberries. It was surprisingly good. I immediately started thinking about using those flavors to bake something equally as delicious. It was a toss-up between cookies and brownies, but the thought of a dark chocolate cookie swung the vote in the cookie direction.

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Cranberry Shortbread

Shortbread is one of the finest examples of just a few basic ingredients making something incredibly delicious. I have a bit of a shortbread weakness. It's one of my favorite things to bake. And to eat, too, for that matter. These little cookies aren't too sweet. The cranberries add a bit of sweetness as well as some tartness. They're pretty perfect for an everyday treat and just fabulous for a cookie tray. (Are we already thinking about that?!?)

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Macadamia Butter Cookies with Dried Cranberries

I recently re-discovered this recipe in my insane as-yet-to-be-baked recipe collection. Something about the cranberries made them seem like a must for holiday baking. Plus, it's not every day you get to make your own macadamia butter.

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Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies

View more photos Cranberries have become synonymous with the holidays. So, it stands to reason that they should play a part in holiday baking. These cookies are a twist on an oatmeal-nut cookie. That cookie alone would be tasty, but the addition of dried cranberries gives them a little extra kick of flavor.

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