My husband is not as into food as I am. It was a shocking revelation for a newlywed to realize he did not, in fact, plan his life around eating. (What did he plan it around instead? Human interaction?? Weirdo.) He has grown to accept my food-loving ways over the years. (Recently he planned our Thanksgiving travel route around a bakery. It was like an early Christmas gift.) But there are some foods he loves more than others. One constant is the combination of orange and cranberry.
I have to admit I was late to the game on this one. For some reason I did not enjoy this combo and used to shun the orange-cranberry scones or bagels he enjoyed. Why orange and cranberry when chocolate chips exist?
He's also doesn't bake often. Not because he can't (he's pretty good at it, as with most things he attempts,) but he doesn't have a lot of extra time. Also, I'm possibly a bit, er, territorial about the kitchen. But every year when the cranberries are fresh, he makes a couple of loaves of orange-cranberry bread. At first I ate it out of duty, but over the years it grew on me to the point where I look forward to it. And it has also made me a fan of the orange/cranberry combo. I find myself looking for recipes that pair the two together, leading naturally to these little gems.
Rolling them in sugar combined with orange zest gives them that extra little something. If you are a fan of the orange/cranberry genre, these are the cookies for you!