Spiced Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

Today is the last official day of spring. My cooling bill is officially in the realm of financially uncomfortable for the next three months. The heat is uncomfortable for me already, in the triple digits, and the UV index is instantly threatening my life every time I step outside. As a means of mental survival, that is when my mind immediately shifts to all things cool and comforting, and I strive to stay calm and focus on the things that give my great joy…. I mentally dwell in my mind palace, if you will. There, the mandatory dress code is #SWEATERWEATHER and my mind fixates on harvest-centric and soul-soothing recipes and activities.

Basically, I am saying, “Happy Summer, yall. Enjoy it if you like, and I will be over here planning a bunch of pumpkin, spice, harvest, and autumny recipes and activities for when you’re done having fun in the sun. (Do not worry, my vampire friends will keep me company in the shade.)

No, it is not too soon for pumpkin and spiced everything! I frequently say it’s perpetually autumn in my life.

Stay Calm and Pumpkin On! Let this be the beginning of a summer full of warmth and adventure, no matter what you’re up to. I’ll be revisiting some of my favorite recipes, along with some new ones, to help you gear up and hit the ground running once summer ends. The first highlighted recipe is what I would choose if someone were to ask me to describe myself in a recipe: Heavily spiced, sweet, bitter, tart, and inexplicably addictive and comforting.

Every autumn, as a personal rule, I greedily hoard fresh pumpkins of every size and color, and I carefully tuck away a few bags of fresh cranberries into my freezer.  I find a guiltless satisfaction knowing I have such beautiful ingredients to add to any recipe on a whim.  And who could blame me?  In these cooler months it is vital to our health to boost our meals with as much extra nutrition as possible, to ward off any threats to our immune system.  I’m not necessarily calling pumpkins a super food by any stretch of the imagination (although I do adore them in all forms), but cranberries definitely possess enough antioxidants and vitamins to speak for themselves.

As these are two of my favorite flavors in the world, I couldn’t help but come up with a recipe which embraces the pleasures of both ingredients harmoniously.  This was, surprisingly, much simpler than I anticipated.  Instead of channeling a traditional pumpkin spice cookie, I immediately reflected on a beautiful breakfast cookie that my grandmother used to make when I was a child.  Instead of the simple, charming flavors she used to use, I turned it seasonal and rich with warming spices.

The texture is a cross between a muffin and a cookie in its density.  Since wordplay seems to be all the rage with recipe hybrids, would we call it a muffie or a coofin?  (I know, I know. Those sound rather terrible. Haha!) Would anyone care for a cronut or a merookie?. 

It matters not.  A cookie by any other name would taste as sweet.

I digress…

Continuing on the antioxidants topic, I shamelessly added dark chocolate, too.  I like a LOT of comforting spices in my recipe.  It’s not adequate unless the aroma fills your home with warm holiday cheer.  Normally one would not expect chocolate and the combination of spices to play nicely together, but this is a pleasant exception.

In my original recipe I used dried cranberries.  Recently I did not have anything on hand except my cheerful bags of frozen cranberries.  This was a delightful shift in not only the texture, but also taste.  While it truly comes down to personal preference, I happily sacrificed the chewy dried cranberry pieces in exchange for the tart jewels which brightened every bite.  Look how those gorgeous rubies bleed their sweet juices into the cookie.  Heaven! I leave it up to a vote amongst my readers which choice of cranberries, fresh or dried, you believe is better in this recipe.

As soon as possible, I hope you can tuck in with a plate of these cookies, a cup of your favorite tea and some good morning literature to enjoy on a cool, quiet morning.  You’ll be glad you did!