Orange Cranberry Cookies

I love those jumbo orange cranberry muffins, but they’re too hefty to be eating all day long.. so I decided to try my hand at a cookie version. And what delicious results! These are full of bright orange flavor, with plenty of sweet chewy cranberries and just a hint of vanilla. Sure to become a new favorite cookie.
Yields 3 1/2 dozen.

SODIUM CONTENT: 3.5 mg per cookie

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 T. pure orange extract
2 1/2 t. Ener-G sodium-free baking soda (available online at healthyheartmarket.com)
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. orange juice
1 1/4 c. dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or if you have a reliable nonstick sheet, that will be fine as is).

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the extracts, then add the baking soda. Add the flour, alternating with the juice. Stir in the cranberries last, scraping sides of the bowl well to make sure everything is incorporated. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Lightly dampen the bottom of a glass or jar and dip into sugar. Press gently down on the cookies to flatten slightly. The dough is quite sticky, so some may adhere during this process. Don’t be alarmed; simply scrape it off the bottom of the glass and pat it back in place. They don’t have to be perfect!

Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven, then remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.