Cranberry, Orange, Dark Chocolate & Coconut Cookies - Bakemas Day 1

Here we go again, bakemas 2.0 and just like last year I’m still not mentally prepared and I’m already incredibly sleepy, probably my own fault for trying to fit too many things in. So instead of curling up in bed and watching a Christmas film I have coffee, one of these cookies and a hot lamb on my lap because it is pretty darn cold at the moment. I mean if you can’t be asleep coffee and cookies isn’t a bad second option, especially these cookies.

It’s weird that it’s finally December because I was walking around yesterday and it felt like Christmas was nearly over. I mean, I’ve had Christmas sheets on my bed for a month now and I guess I started watching Christmas films in October but I only just put my tree up, bakemas has only just started and I still have roughly three thousand things to do before the 25th!

I’ll be honest I had all these plans to be on top of things for bakemas (as I do for everything) but my November was pretty much a giant mess so I’m actually less prepared than I was last year and my list of bakes is more sort of a mass of ideas scribbled on a few pieces of paper that aren’t particularly legible. The next 24 days are probably going to get a little hectic, but cookies can fix everything right? Or is that supposed to be coffee? In that case I should be invincible with both.

This recipe started off as oatmeal cookies but I just kept adding more coconut and there was really no need for the oats anymore, I think it might be my new favourite cookie base which won't make all the coconut haters I know very happy. I guess coconut isn’t typically Christmassy but I love it and it goes so well with orange and cranberries which are typically Christmassy and I'm sure a lot of people would agree that no cookie is complete without chocolate.

You will need
250g/9oz butter/margarine
50g/2oz caster sugar
100g/3½ oz light muscavado sugar
Zest of 1 large orange
85g/3oz desiccated coconut
100g/3½oz dark chocolate cut into chunks
50g/2oz dried cranberries
2 tbsp milk
250g/9 oz self raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 and line two baking trays with baking paper.
In a bowl cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
Add in the orange zest desiccated coconut, chocolate and dried cranberries and mix then add the milk and flour and mix again.
Divide the mixture into 12 and place on the baking trays then lightly flatten the mixture still leaving it quite rough looking.
Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are pale golden around the edges but still soft in the centre.

Makes 12