This is the story of the birth of a cookie: My best “cookie friend,” Dawn Ryan, mailed me her favorite store-bought cookie with a plea to figure out how to reproduce them. When I tasted the cinnamon cookie loaded with fruits and nuts, they reminded me of rugelach. I was off and baking. The recipe grew over months of testing, e-mails, and sample mailings. Finally, Dawn pronounced them “perfect, terrific, and a keeper.”
Although the same amount of dried cranberries can be used in a pinch, fresh cranberries give the best result.
makes 10 cookies • cookie making 20 minutes • cookie baking 350 degrees, for about 25 minutes
cookies
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 tablespoons sour cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup dried currants
¼ cup golden raisins
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh or defrosted frozen cranberries
glaze
¾ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 5 teaspoons water
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
MAKE THE COOKIES. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the cream cheese and butter, mixing until large clumps of dough form. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla just to blend and form a soft dough. Stir in the currants, raisins, walnuts, and cranberries.
Use an ice cream scoop with a ¼-cup capacity to scoop out balls and place them about 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Or use your hands to roll ¼-cup portions of dough into balls.
Bake until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops feel firm, about 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
GLAZE THE COOKIES. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, and vanilla with enough water to make a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cooled cookies. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze is firm.
The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.