Cranberry Filled Cookies
Source: Jessica Drakulich, Johnson & Wales University
Servings: 25-35
Ingredients
1 cup Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
4 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1 (3”) Cinnamon Stick
1 tablespoon Lavender
1 teaspoon Cardamom, ground
2 pkg. Pre-made Sugar Cookie Dough
Method
Combine cranberries, sugar, lavender, cardamom, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon stick, then carefully transfer the cranberry mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot mixtures). Cool the mixture in the refrigerator until completely cold.
Roll out 1 log of cookie dough until 1/4” thickness is achieved consistently. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out dough and transfer to a baking sheet, leaving 1/2” space between each cookie. Place 1-2 t of the cranberry mixture in the center of each cookie. Place another piece of round dough on top of the mixture and pinch the edges of the cookie together. At this point the cookies may either be frozen to be baked at a later date, or bake in a 350*F oven for about 10-15 minutes or until a light golden brown.
Cranberry Impact
Cranberries are native only to North America and southeastern Massachusetts is the birthplace of the commercial cranberry industry.
Cranberries are the No. 1 food crop in Massachusetts. The industry supports nearly 6,400 jobs and contributes an economic impact of $1.7 billion annual.
Cranberry growers farm more than 11,500 acres of cranberry bogs in southeastern Massachusetts. With 3-5 acres of support land for every acre of active bog, the cranberry industry protects 60,000 acres of open space.
Learn what's happening on cranberry farms this time of year:
Cranberry blossom season starts mid-June and growers hope for sunny days. Migratory and native bees pollinate the flowers and tiny fruit pin heads begin to form. With the warm weather, frost events lessen. Berries start to size in July and nutrients are applied to support the growing fruit. Growers irrigate as necessary and monitor for pests and rot. Cranberries will continue to grow in size and growers are monitoring for fruit quality. By late August the berries are starting to blush (turn red).