Holiday Cranberry Snowballs

Holiday Cranberry Snowballs are packed with sweet and chewy dried cranberries that have been reconstituted with a cup of hot tea. Prepared with the most basic of pantry ingredients, these snowball cookies are nothing short of extraordinary, and they taste so delicious especially with a splash of orange extract!

Even though I love to bake and cook with fresh cranberries, there are times when a dried cranberry just works better – just like in the case of these Holiday Cranberry Snowballs! Unlike a fresh cranberry, a dried cranberry is sweet and chewy. Those two elements work well in a soft, pillow-like cookie like this one!

If your home is anything like ours, there is always dried fruit in the pantry.  We like to keep a good stock and supply of dried cranberries, apricots, raisins, dates, etc.  And, I always have candied cherries and dried mixed peel on hand.  I think it’s the Newfoundlander in me, and maybe it’s not.  Maybe it’s just because I can’t resist the sweet taste and chewy texture of preserved and candied fruits.

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my second holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Cranberry Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES:

Here is a list of what you will need to make these cookies. For exact measurements, scroll down to the bottom of this page where you will find a printable recipe card.

• Dried Cranberries
• Hot Brewed Tea – This is used to reconstitute the cranberries, but it also imparts flavour.
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Orange Extract
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Orange Zest
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Sanding Sugar

HOW TO MAKE HOLIDAY CRANBERRY SNOWBALLS

Transfer the dried cranberries to a heat-safe bowl and pour in the hot tea. Use a spoon to push the cranberries down so that they are all submerged in the tea. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 320 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy – about three minutes. Next, pour in the sweetened condensed milk and beat into the butter for two minutes. Beat in the orange extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again for another minute or two. Finally, add the flour, orange zest, and baking powder. Beat into the butter and milk mixture until mixed through. Strain the cranberries in a metal colander, being sure to use a spoon or spatula to push the excess moisture/tea out of the cranberries. They do not need to be completely dry, but most certainly should not be dripping with tea. Transfer the cranberries to the cookie dough mixture and beat lightly just to combine.

Using a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop, portion the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least two inches between each mound of cookie dough. Sprinkle the tops of each of those cookie mounds with sanding sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave them to cool slightly on the pan for five minutes. Finally, remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room-temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite a bit in my holiday cookie recipes. I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you can only find granulated sugar, you can either skip the coating in sugar step, or you can use turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden brown though, so it will throw off the colour of your finished cookie.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Holiday Cranberry Snowballs, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out onto a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!