What’s my favorite part of the holidays? The food, family, friends and the holiday parties of course! And would there be any holiday parties without the food? The more I become acquainted with food, the more I come to realize how much it has to offer. Not only does it give us the constant nourishment we need to live our daily lives but it brings us together. It builds friendships. It also opens a world of opportunity to experiment with exciting flavors and try new recipes. That’s one thing I love about food, it never has to be boring and there are limitless combinations of what can be created. Another great thing about food is its array of seasonal flavors. I like how there is a rotation of fresh seasonal produce to keep things exciting.
Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Winter can seem to lack quite as much abundance of fresh fruit, but the one fruit I’m glad I can always count on during the Christmas season is the plethora of perfectly ripe, deliciously sweet Navel oranges (the kind that don’t lead me to pulling a sour face immediately after sinking my teeth into the first bite).
When you really get a good orange, it’s so juicy and sweet it could nearly pass as candy. Oranges are definitely my favorite citrus fruit and their flavor complements a chocolate chip cookie like no other. The citrus-y zip hugs the semi-sweet chocolate chips. These cookies are like those chocolate oranges you buy around the holidays, but in thick and chewy cookie form! Then when you add cranberries into the equation, you’ll feel like this cookie is the season’s best friend. If you ask me, cranberry, orange and chocolate were meant to be together. This cookie is perfect to bake and give as a gift, because how many people do you know that don’t like chocolate chip cookies? And how fun would it be to give a chocolate chip cookie that had such a flavorful and exciting twist? I know I’d be happy to get a plateful. Enjoy!
