Shirley's Recipes

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

2 teaspoons vanilla extract\\

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature\\

Name: Coconut-Cranberry Chews
Key Ingredient: dried cranberries
Preparation: mix; shape; bake
Cuisine: American
Source: Sunset Magazine/Leanne Van Horn
Food Group: cookies
Meals: lunch, snack, picnic
Courses: dessert
Temperature: room
Effort: easy
Prep. Time: :30
Elapsed Time: 1:00
Servings: 30

1-1/2 cups (3 cubes) butter or margarine, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1-1/2 cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, orange peel and vanilla until smooth.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture, stir to mix, then beat on low speed until dough comes together, about 5 minutes (See Note). Mix in cranberries and coconut.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12 x 15-inch baking sheets.
Bake in a 350F. oven until cookie edges just begin to brown, 8 to 11 minutes (shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie; longer baking time will yield a crispier cookie). If baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Note: The mixture will look dry until it comes together as a dough. If it's too crumbly to form into balls, the dough needs to be mixed longer; it should be a smooth, homogeneous mass.