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    Home » Cookies

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl Cookies

    Published: Jul 19, 2021 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate linksLeave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Having two jars of my homemade apple cranberry jam, which I wanted to use in this week's cookie, I decided to make a swirl cookie. I also added walnuts to give it a little crunch. They turned out just like I thought they would, soft and with a great apple cranberry taste.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl Cookies stacked with 2 cinnamon sticks on a piece of parchment paper square.

    I added the Apple Cranberry Homemade Jam with this cookie even though it was in last week's recipe. I always hated having to jump around to find parts of a recipe. So I have included everything here.

    I hope you enjoy it!

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Jam

    Making homemade jam is rewarding, and you get the flavors you want. So take the time to mix this up quickly on the stove.

    How to Make Swirl Cookies

    Swirl cookies take a bit more work, but the result is always worth it. There may seem like many steps, but each step can be done at different times, so it isn't a large chunk of time all at once.

    Mix Wrap Chill for Swirl Cookie Dough

    After mixing up your dough in the stand mixer, prepare a floured surface.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough in the mixer bowl, ready to put onto the pastry mat.

    Gently press your dough together with your hands before dividing it roughly in half. I like to pat each half out into a square shape; this makes it easier to roll out later.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough kneaded into an oblong shape on a pastry mat.
    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough is divided into 2 halves, with one shaped like a square.

    Once you have your squares, wrap them tightly in plastic, so they don't dry out. Chill these for at least two hours, but longer is fine. I do one square piece at a time, so the dough doesn't get too warm while I'm working.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough is divided into 2 halves and wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Rolling Log Cookies

    Prepare a floured surface. You'll want to roll the dough out onto parchment or a silicone mat to help when it's time to roll it into the log shape. If you do it on the counter, it might not easily come up, and you'll end up with a mess.

    Roll out one square at a time, and then spread half of your homemade jam over the top. The bright cranberry is just so cheerful! Next, sprinkle on your chopped walnuts, then roll your dough up fairly tightly to get a good spiral.

    Rolled out dough and the jam and walnuts are spread out all over it.

    One trick I've learned is to cut a paper towel tube in half length-wise and set my wrapped dough logs in them. It takes both halves of the paper towel tube for one log so you will need 2 tubes if doing both logs. The paper towel helps them not to flatten out as they chill. If you don't have any tubes available, rotate the logs a few times once they are in the refrigerator.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough rolled and sitting on 2 halves of a paper towel center to hold its shape in the refrigerator.

    Chill overnight, and then you are ready to slice them and set them up on a lined baking sheet. If they squish a bit when slicing, gently form them back into rounds.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl dough was sliced from the roll and placed on parchment paper on a cookie sheet pan.

    The cookies are done baking once they are no longer shiny. Enjoy!

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl Cookies cooling on a wire rack.

    Storage

    I keep these in a plastic container, and they should last 5 to 7 days. Just keep an eye on them if you put on an air-tight lid. This cookie does contain fresh fruit in the jam so you might want to leave the lid off once in a while to allow the cookies some circulated air for evaporation.

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    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl Cookies stacked with 2 cinnamon sticks on a piece of parchment paper square.

    Apple Cranberry Walnut Swirl Cookies

    Barbara Hall
    These cookies are a little tricky to roll. You need to roll out the dough on something that you can lift the one side to help you roll the dough. This also has a 2 hour chill time before rolling. After I rolled it I left it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Total Bake Time 26 mins
    Chill 10 hrs
    Total Time 10 hrs 56 mins
    Course Cookies, Holiday, Nuts
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 258 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    APPLE CRANBERRY JAM

    • 1 (1) Granny Smith apple
    • 1 cup (100 g) Fresh cranberries
    • 1 ¼ cup (250 g) Sugar white
    • ¼ cup (59.15 g) Water
    • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Holiday spice blend*
    • 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Lemon zest

    COOKIE DOUGH

    • 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
    • 4 oz (113.4 g) Cream Cheese softened
    • 1 ½ cups (300 g) Sugar white
    • 2 (2) Eggs
    • ½ tablespoon (0.5 tablespoon) Apple juice
    • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
    • 3 cups (375 g) All-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
    • 1 ¼ teaspoon (1.25 teaspoon) Baking powder
    • ½ cup (58.5 g) Chopped walnuts Handful sprinkled on top of the jam before rolling

    Instructions
     

    APPLE CRANBERRY HOMEMADE JAM

    • Peel and dice the Granny smith apple. Zest and juice 1 lemon into 2 bowls and set aside.
    • In a medium-size saucepan, add the cranberries, diced apple pieces, water, and sugar, bringing the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Don't worry about the size of the whole cranberries. They will pop open and become small. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes until the cranberries open, and the apple pieces soften. Next, add the lemon zest and juice plus the holiday spice blend. Stir and cook until it starts to thicken and become syrupy. Transfer to glass containers to cool. This recipe for the jam will make 2 batches of these cookies.

    COOKIE DOUGH

    • Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt, running a whisk to blend. In a stand or handheld mixer, cream the butter and the cream cheese on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and blend for another two minutes on medium speed. I scrape down the sides and across the bottom and mix for another 30 seconds. Add the vanilla extract and apple juice. Add one egg at a time until incorporated. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the flour mixture.
    • On a floured pastry sheet, transfer the cookie dough and mix by hand to ensure all the cookie dough ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be tacky, so add flour if needed to shape the dough. Divide in half, and shape each half into a rectangle. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
    • Place one of the wrapped cookie dough rectangles onto a well-floured pastry sheet. It helps if you have something under your rolled-out dough so that after you add the filling, you can roll it into a log shape. Rolling the cookie dough on something other than your countertop would be best. Take your Apple Cranberry Homemade Jam and spread it onto the rolled-out cookie dough. I take a handful of chopped walnuts and sprinkle them on top of the jam.
    • Start rolling and lifting the pastry sheet to help it roll until you get to the end. Next, I tear off a piece of plastic wrap and put it under the edge of the log so that I can roll the log onto the wrap. Then I finish wrapping the log and shape it a little better. I have two paper towel center tubes that I have cut in half length-wise. I put two halves together and put a log on them. Since there are 2 logs, I needed two center paper towel tubes. Set the logs on a pan and put them into the refrigerator overnight.
    • Preheat your oven to 350° and line your cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Take one of the cookie logs out of the refrigerator and slice it into about ½ inch slices. Line the cookies about 2" apart (I get 12 to a pan) and bake for 13 - 15 minutes. You don't want any shiny dough on the top. Take them out of the oven, leaving them on the pan for 2-4 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

    Notes

    * The holiday blend I used was the Cinnamon Plus by Pampered Chef. You can make your own, depending on what spices you add together. Usually, it is cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and more. It does not have to be all them, just what you like. Pampered Chef added orange peel in theirs, and that sounded good to me. I just had to try it...
    I was going to put a link to the spice, but it is only available during the holiday baking season. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 327IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword apple cranberry pinwheels, apple cranberry swirl cookies, apple cranberry walnut swirl cookies
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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