Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli: Stop Asking Questions

Dried cranberries rule.

Especially when combined with chocolate, as I was reminded after sampling that Lindt Dark Excellence Cranberry bar last week.

Obviously, I needed to bake something with cranberries and chocolate.

And salt.

Why salt? Why do YOU ask THESE QUESTIONS which have OBVIOUS ANSWERS? Stop asking questions and just read about these Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli already.

Cranberry Sea Salt Brunsli (inspired by Saveur)

8 ounces blanched almonds

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

2 egg whites

6 ounces dried cranberries

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Finely grind almonds, fine salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add chocolate, process until a uniform mixture forms, then add egg white and process until smooth. Remove from food processor, mix in cranberries and coarse sea salt by hand.

Roll the dough about ¼ inch think, then use cookie cutters of your choice to shape the cookies.

Let the shaped cookies dry on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet for three hours. The dough will be quite sticky before drying, but the cut cookies will be much easier to handle after the drying process. Bake at 300° F for 12-15 minutes, when they should be slightly puffed.

Slightly puffed, and very delicious.

Can you think of any cookie recipe that isn’t improved with the addition of more salt? Yeah, I didn’t think so.