Well, hello there, everyone! Today, I’m gonna gab a bit about makin’ cookies, the kind with them cranberries and walnuts. You know, the real tasty ones. Not them store-bought things that taste like cardboard. Nope, we’re makin’ ’em from scratch, the good ol’ way. This ain’t no fancy cooking show, so don’t expect no highfalutin words or nothin’. Just plain talkin’ and good eatin’.
First off, you gotta get yourself some stuff. We need flour, the white kind, you know? Not that brown stuff, that’s for health nuts. We need sugar, real sugar, the white kind again. And some butter, gotta be real butter, not that margarine stuff, it tastes like plastic. Then them cranberries, the dried-up kind, and walnuts, the ones you gotta crack open yourself, if you can. Them pre-shelled ones are alright too, if you’re lazy. And eggs, gotta have eggs, from chickens, you know? And a bit of that bakin’ soda stuff, to make ’em fluffy. And a pinch of salt, just a little bit, like my grandma used to say, “a pinch is all you need to make things sing”. You got all that? Good, let’s get started then.
Now, get yourself a big bowl, a real big one, like the one you use to mix up the potato salad for the church picnic. Dump in some flour, maybe two cups, maybe three, depends on how many cookies you wanna make. Then throw in a cup of sugar, maybe a bit more if you like ’em sweet. I always add a little extra, ‘cause life’s too short for sour cookies. Then take that butter, gotta be soft, you know? Not rock hard, but not melted neither. Just soft enough to squish. Cut it up in little pieces and throw it in the bowl too.
- Mix it all up, with your hands!
- Don’t be scared to get your hands dirty, that’s the best part.
- Squish that butter into the flour and sugar, until it looks like little crumbs.
That’s what they call “creaming” the butter, but I just call it squishin’. Next, crack them eggs into a little bowl, gotta make sure no shells get in there. Whisk ’em up with a fork, just a little bit, and then pour ’em into the big bowl with the flour and butter and sugar.
Now, here comes the tricky part. You gotta mix it all up, but not too much. Just enough to get it all together. If you mix it too much, the cookies will be tough. Nobody wants tough cookies. So just mix it till it’s all kinda stuck together, then stop. Then, dump in them cranberries and walnuts. Don’t be stingy with ‘em, the more the merrier. Mix it all up again, just a little bit, to get them cranberries and walnuts spread out even.
Now, get yourself a bakin’ sheet, one of them flat ones. And put some of that parchment paper on it, so the cookies don’t stick. Then, take a spoon, a big spoon, and scoop out some of that cookie dough. Plop it down on the bakin’ sheet, in little mounds. Don’t put ’em too close together, or they’ll all stick together when they bake. And you don’t want that. You want nice, round cookies, not one big giant cookie mess. Unless you like big cookie messes. Then go ahead, I ain’t stoppin’ you.
Now, stick them cookies in the oven. Gotta preheat the oven, you know? Set it to, oh, I don’t know, 350 degrees, I guess. That’s what most things bake at. And bake ’em for, oh, maybe 10 minutes, maybe 12. Just keep an eye on ’em. You want ’em to be golden brown around the edges, but still soft in the middle. Don’t burn ‘em, burnt cookies taste like ashes.
When they’re done, take ’em out of the oven and let ’em cool for a bit. Don’t try to eat ’em right away, you’ll burn your tongue. And burnt tongues don’t taste good, I can tell ya that. Let ’em cool on the bakin’ sheet for a few minutes, then move ’em to a wire rack to cool all the way. Or just eat ’em warm, straight off the bakin’ sheet, if you can’t wait. That’s what I usually do.
And that’s it. That’s how you make cookies with cranberries and walnuts. It ain’t rocket science, you know? Just plain ol’ cookin’, the way my mama taught me. And now you know how to do it too. So go on, make yourself some cookies. And don’t forget to share ‘em with your neighbors, or your grandkids, or whoever’s around. Sharing is caring, you know? And cookies always taste better when you share ’em. Now, I gotta go, I hear the kettle whistling. Time for a cup of tea and a cookie, I think. You enjoy them cookies now, ya hear?
Tags: [cookies, cranberries, walnuts, baking, homemade, dessert, recipe, easy recipe, simple baking, holiday baking]