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Cranberry orange pockets

Time1 hour
YieldsMakes 2 dozen cookies
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Beyond the colorful decorations and after the initial rush of sugar, holiday cookies are about memories and tradition. Be they humble or ornate, our baked goods are used to celebrate and give thanks -- thanks for our childhoods, the blessings of family and friends and the magic that can be found only this time of year.

This fall, we asked L.A. Times readers to share their special cookie recipes with us for our third annual Holiday Cookie Bake-Off and then to help us narrow down their favorites to the top 50.

We received close to 200 submissions, and more than 2,500 votes were cast. We took the top vote-getters to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, where students spent one Saturday morning baking batches of cookies.

Just over a week ago, the L.A. Times Test Kitchen was jammed with happy bakers and their helpers for this year’s photo shoot. Amazing cookies, memories and traditions were shared.

Celebrating memories, cookies remind us of home. Or remind those close to us of home. One winner made cookies to share with a friend from Sweden. When he tasted the ginger-spiced cookies, the friend remarked, “This is my taste of Christmas.”

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Cookie dough

1

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

2

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the orange juice and vanilla extract. On low speed, gradually stir in the flour mix just until blended.

3

Gather the dough together and divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a flat square and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Filling

1

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar and orange zest until well-blended. Stir in the dried cranberries, then the melted butter.

1

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2

On a lightly floured surface, roll one square out to a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 (2-inch) squares. Carefully transfer the squares to the prepared cookie sheets, placing them 1 to 2 inches apart. Roll and cut the second square of dough into squares. Set aside.

3

Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each square on the cookie sheets. Top with the remaining squares, and press the edges together with the tines of a fork to seal.

4

Bake until the edges are lightly golden, 12 to 16 minutes. Immediately slide the parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes, then slide off the parchment paper and cool completely.

5

Prepare the icing: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with the orange juice, zest and vanilla extract, stirring until the icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle from a spoon. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

Adapted from Linda Amendt.