Cranberry Nut Swirls

Name: Cranberry Nut Swirls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup finely ground cranberries; 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts; 1 tablespoon grated orange zest; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoons milk

This recipe originated with my sister-in-law. It gets used a lot over the holidays when we want to pull a fast one on the guys in our family. They claim they don't like cranberries in any shape or form, but everyone enjoys these. —Carla Hodenfield, Ray, North Dakota

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely ground cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Directions

Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture, beating well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Combine cranberries, walnuts and orange zest; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-in. square. Combine brown sugar and milk; brush over dough. Sprinkle with cranberry mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on well-greased baking sheets. Bake until edges are light brown, 14-15 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 65 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 10mg cholesterol, 37mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

Originally published as Cranberry Nut Swirls in Country Woman September/October 1992

Reviews

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redcow

Nov 24, 2017

I used fresh cranberries and chopped them in the food processor--they turned out fine. I wish I had added the brown sugar and milk directly to the cranberry mixture for easier spreading. The filling was a bit too tart for my taste. I found the dough fairly easy to work with. Cookies did bake up nice, but probably will not make again.
2124arizona

Jun 22, 2017

These roll up nicely and have a pleasant cranberry flavor!!
JLD49

Nov 6, 2012

These have become our favorite cookie, especially at Christmas. They've festive but not overly sweet. They're very easy to make and turn out perfectly every time.
dozer77

Dec 6, 2011

These are so good and pretty too.I will make these agan.
boland

Dec 8, 2008

I made these with fresh/frozen cranberrys and chopped it all up in the food processor. Turned out delish. Cookies were gone at the office in a short peroid of time.
digigirl

Dec 5, 2008

These did not look anything like the picture, for me. The recipe does not specify whether to use fresh or dried cranberries - I chose dried. Flavor is okay, but I would double the filling, grind the cranberries much more next time and try to find some way to get the dough to actually remain round while chilling. Overall, a little disappointing.