These cookies are a refreshing change from the typical Christmas cookie assortment. They have a great texture - crumbly and studded with oats and chopped almonds, but not at all clumsy or chunky. The not-too-sweet, buttery cookie base is a perfect backdrop to the cranberry white chocolate pairing. 

I found this recipe in Sweet, the dessert cookbook of Yotam Ottalenghi, an all time favorite of mine. He develops such good recipes with amazing flavor. These cookies are perhaps a little understated compared to some of his more dynamic flavor combinations, but I think that’s half their appeal.

Oat cranberry almond cookies with white chocolate

I thought rolling the dough out and cutting rounds seemed too finicky, but the perfect matching circularity of all the cookies makes them so attractive!

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole roasted almonds

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (5.3 oz) all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out

• 1/2 cup (2.5 oz) whole wheat flour

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp

• 1/2 cup sugar

• zest and juice of one orange

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries , soaked in 1.5 tbsp of the orange juice

• 9 oz white chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Toast the almonds in the oven on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, chop into roughly 1/4-1/3 inch pieces. A food processor makes quick work of this. Transfer to a bowl; add the oats, flours, and salt and mix together.

3. Turn oven up to 375.

4. Cream butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Add the flour oat mix and beat on low until just combined. Add the cranberries and juice and beat just until the dough comes together. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Gather into a ball and cut in half.

5. Working in batches, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a round cookie or biscuit cutter (mine was 3 inches) and transfer to a baking sheet*. These won’t spread so don’t worry about spacing them out too much.

6. Bake about 18 minutes or very lightly browned all over. Let cool completely.

7. Melt the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom side of each cookie and lay bottom side up to set.

*I sprinkled my cookies with fleur de sel because I can’t get enough of sweet and salty.