Welcome to the official start of Leafy Cauldron’s Year of the Cookie. These stunners were inspired by the rosemary and cranberry mocktail I made for Christmas dinner. The herbal and woody flavour of rosemary is the perfect accompaniment to cranberries, and they’re both highlighted by a dash of sparkling orange zest. These are icebox cookies, so they need an hour or so to chill out in the fridge after the dough comes together.
I’m all for substitutions, but please don’t use a flax or chia egg substitute in a cookie this delicate, it will be too strong and make them an unappealing colour. Boxed egg replacers are often called by their most common brand name, but I’ve never found that to be worth the money since they’re just a mixture of starches. A box goes a tremendously long way but you could also try making your own. These are an elegant afternoon dessert; subtle but complex. I’m absolutely in love with these Rosemary and Cranberry Cookies.
Rosemary and Cranberry Cookies
Makes 48 cookies
3/4 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon high quality vanilla extract
1 tablespoon boxed egg replacer + 1/3 cup water, mixed well
2 cups all purpose flour (Gluten-Free one; use brown rice flour for less gritty results)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Zest of half a naval orange
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries (I used these ones that are sweetened with apple juice)
Rosemary Orange Glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon non-dairy margarine, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cream to combine. Add the egg replacer that is mixed in water and stir to combine. It won’t come together like when you add eggs to a cookie mixture, so relax, all will be well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, rosemary, orange zest, salt and dried cranberries. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until it comes together in a ball. Shape into a rectangular log and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the icing. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut about 1/4 inch pieces off of the log. Place the cut cookies on the baking sheets with a little space in between. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have firmed up and are a little brown on the bottom. Let cool on a baking rack. Ice using a butter knife, while the cookies are still a little warm.