Like the Cranberry Bread I posted about last month, this recipe also comes from the back of a children's book. Appropriately, these cookies are from Cranberry Christmas, and they are indeed perfect for the holiday season. I did deviate from the recipe in a couple of places, choosing to use slivered almonds in place of walnuts and replace half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. The result is a cookie that is tart and sweet.

If your favorite cookie is the type that is gooey with chocolate or caramel, then these are not the cookies for you. But if you want a cookie that dips nicely in tea and would make a really satisfying afternoon snack, then I recommend baking a batch of these up. One last point in their favor is that they are really pretty and would make a nice addition to a dessert buffet.

Whole Wheat Cranberry Almond Cookies
adapted from Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup slivered, toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Measure flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together (I used my stand mixer) until fluffy, then beat in the egg, milk and lemon juice. Mix in dry ingredients in batches until blended. Stir in cranberries and almonds. Drop out onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, making sure to flatten the cookies with a dampened finger (the first tray I did I left the batter in mounds and they didn't spread while baking). Bake for about 15 minutes, until they are firm and golden.

The recipe says that it makes about 8 dozen, my yield was closer to 7.