These cranberry biscuits are a brilliant last minute edible gift idea or fantastic festive comfort food!

Cranberry cookies appeal to all senses and seasons; tartness from the cranberries, chewiness from the oats, nuttiness from the almonds and a bit of sweet luxury from the white chocolate coating.

Cranberry Biscuits

Make about 30 (if using a 7 cm cutter)

Ingredients

• 150 g whole almonds, skin on
• 150 g plain flour
• 75 g wholemeal flour
• 150 g rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 100 g muscovado (or other) sugar
• 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 orange (we will use the juice and zest)
• 125 g dried berries, cranberries chopped in half
• 250 g white chocolate
• 5 teaspoons cranberry powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

GUIDE

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Spread the almonds out on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, roughly chop into 0.5-1cm pieces. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl and add the flours, oats and salt. Mix together and set aside.
3. Juice the orange and take 25 ml of the orange juice and soak the dried cranberries in it. Set aside.
4. Place the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on a medium speed for about 2 minutes, until combined and light.
5. Add the almond and flour mix to the butter and sugar and continue to mix on a low speed until the dough just comes together.
6. Add the dried berries and orange juice and mix for another few seconds to combine, then tip the dough on to a lightly floured work surface.
7. Knead into a ball, sprinkling over more flour if needed to prevent it getting too sticky.
8. Roll out the dough so that it’s just over 5 mm thick. Use a 7 cm cookie cutter to cut the dough into rounds.
9. Bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C (exact time will depend on the oven), until lightly coloured all over. Remove from the oven and set aside until completely cool.
10. Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of gently simmering water or in the microwave. Add the cranberry powder and mix.
11. Coat the cookies using the back of a dessertspoon to spread a tablespoon of the melted white chocolate-cranberry powder mix over each.
12. Sprinkle some cranberry powder on each cookie. Set aside on a cooling rack for the coating to set, which can take up to an hour, before serving.
13. Enjoy!

Original recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh, from their book Sweet.