Also known as I miss New Hampshire in the fall cookies,
they’re the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee and a cozy fire.
It took us nearly four years, but we have finally figured out where home is. Home is now Pensacola, Florida, with a healthy chunk of time in Lexington, Kentucky, as well. This year we will celebrate Christmas in Kentucky, and there will be cookie baking. These may make the list!
The original post
Since late January my husband and I have been on the road, trying to determine where we want to make our next home base. Honestly, I have liked both of the locations in which we’ve spent time: Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Gulf Breeze, Florida. It’s nice being near the water and living somewhere that it doesn’t get as cold as New Hampshire.
However, as early October arrived, and I began seeing posts about the beautiful fall leaves starting to show in New Hampshire, I felt a tug at my heartstrings. I had lived up north for ages and always eagerly anticipated their arrival. Not only did I look forward to the natural fireworks that Mother Nature provides, but it also meant the return of cute boots and fashionable sweaters. I do enjoy bundling up just a little bit.
As I adjusted to the new idea of a chilly day in Florida (highs in the 60s), I began to think about how to transport myself to New Hampshire. The answer, as it often is for me, was food. What could I make that would taste like my former home?
Cranberries were part of the immediate answer, but it needed to be more than that. Both the meatballs and flatbread I made in the last two weeks had cranberries, but neither made me think of NH. Comfort food was what I needed, and what better comfort food is there than a cookie?
I have made other cookies with dried cranberries- oatmeal and cranberry; white chocolate and cranberry. I needed something that emphasized the feel of fall, and that’s how pear was introduced to this cookie. Fall in New Hampshire is about visiting the orchards. Even though apple is the main fruit there, pears are present in many an orchard.
Warm cookie in hand, I curled up on my couch to enjoy this fall substitute. Yes, with the fruits and spices, it did remind me of a chilly fall day in New Hampshire. No, there weren’t beautiful fall leaves outside my window, but I also didn’t have cold toes or fingers from the outdoors. Because as much as I like to romanticize fall, I always am cold. So, maybe just eating a cookie or two and seeing photos of fall leaves will be enough.
Spiced Pear and Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup diced pear
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F
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Combine butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer.
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Mix on speed 2 for 4 minutes.
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Add egg, mixing until incorporated, scraping sides, if necessary.
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Add vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and flour, mixing until combined.
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Add pear, walnuts, and cranberries to dough, stirring until combined.
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Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
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Scoop heaping teaspoon of dough onto parchment paper-lined tray.
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Bake for 12-14 minutes.
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Allow to cool for 2 minutes on tray, then transfer to baking rack to cool completely.
