Coconut Cranberry Chews

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (¾ pound) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups dried cranberries
• 1½ cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

Method

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 cups butter, sugar, orange peel, and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Mix in cranberries and coconut.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake at 350F until cookie edges just begin to brown, 8 to 11 minutes (shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie; longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie).  If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking.  Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Everyone seems to love these cookies as they have a very short crumb and loads of flavor; they’re cranberry-orange relish in a cookie.