Even though I've been trying to cut back on my cookbook purchases, I could not resist getting a copy of The Cookie Collection after it became available again; it had been out of print for some time. I decided to try a recipe for "Cranberry Pecan Maple Shortbread" because I was captivated by the beautiful cookbook photo; ground freeze-dried cranberries give the cookies dramatic color that I had assumed at first glance were crushed rose petals. The recipe is by Rebecca Firth from Displaced Housewife and I don't specifically recall ever trying one of her recipes before. But I was expecting that the recipe would be a piece of cake, as the headnote promises that the cookie "comes together in a snap, rolls like a dream, and is a real stunner."
To make the dough, you beat softened butter with powdered sugar until creamy; add eggs; mix in maple syrup, vanilla, maple extract, salt, and cinnamon; and incorporate flour. The recipe says you should chill the dough for 15 minutes before rolling it out. My dough was the consistency of American buttercream and I was a little skeptical that it would be ready to roll in such a short amount of time. After 15 minutes, the dough was still so soft it was impossible remove from the plastic wrap, much less attempt to roll. I put the dough back in the fridge and tried again an hour later. Still impossible to roll. I got out a scoop and tried baking them as drop cookies. The result was a fat cakey cookie that was horrible. I gave up all hope. I assumed the recipe was a total loss and started looking for another cookie recipe.
Several hours later I remembered that the rest of my plastic-wrapped cookie dough was still in the fridge and that I should throw it away. I retrieved the dough and realized that it finally appeared firm enough to roll. I gave it a shot, and I got it to work -- but just barely. I had to use a lot of flour and fight with the dough a bit, but I was able to cut it into fluted rectangles. You actually sprinkle the dough with chopped toasted pecans and ground freeze-dried cranberries during the rolling process, pressing the nuts and powder into the top of the cookies as you roll. This worked out fairly well, although as I regathered the scraps and re-rolled them, a lot of pecans and cranberry powder ended up inside the dough and not just on top of the cookies.
I baked the cookies, let them cool, and gave one a try. It was cakey and pretty awful. I think cakey is generally the worst possible cookie texture, and it seemed like a particular slap in the face that I was getting a cakey cookie after literally hours of time and effort fighting with the dough and going to the trouble of rolling and cutting it. But I suppose that I had already sunk so much time and mental effort into this recipe that I felt compelled to continue. I baked off all off the cookies and pondered whether I should serve them, or toss them in the compost bin.
I decided I couldn't serve them, but I made one more last-ditch effort to salvage the cookies. I arranged them on baking pans and put them back in the oven, which was turned off but still warm from my evening of baking. I left the cookies in there for a while. I don't remember how long -- I didn't really have a plan at this point. But when I returned to the oven, I pulled out the cookies and to my enormous relief, they were no longer cakey. They were not crisp, but they were improved enough that I felt that I could serve them.
To me, the flavor at the forefront of the cookies was pecans, with maple a distant second. While I loved the beautiful color added from the freeze-dried cranberry powder, the flavor of the cranberries was virtually non-existent (but I'm planning to grind up the remainder of the bag of cranberries and use them to decorate holiday cookies). I mean, in the end, this cookie was fine, but it was not a standout, and the process of making them was a complete freakin' nightmare. While I think these are some of the most visually striking cookies I've ever made, I have zero interest in ever revisiting this recipe.
Recipe: "Cranberry Pecan Maple Shortbread" by Rebecca Firth, from The Cookie Collection.
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