Cranberry Blue Cheese Cookies & Point Reyes NS (Day 12)

We made it! 12 days, 14 eggs, 4 pounds of butter, 8-1/2 cups of sugar, some 7-1/2 pounds of flour, and 6,421 virtual miles later, we’ve reached the end of our 2020 coast-to-coast Christmas cookie road trip. On this final day, welcome to Point Reyes National Seashore on California’s Pacific coast.

With 80 miles of undeveloped coastline, Point Reyes NS has preserved marine headlands, tidal bays, and coastal plains since 1962. On a clear day, harbor and elephant seals sun themselves on both wide and narrow shorelines.

The waters along Point Reyes are also migratory waterways for the once endangered gray whale. Hunted for their blubber, gray whales were on the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2016, population numbers reached about 27,000 whales, taking them off the endangered species list. Whale watchers anxiously await the gray whales’ arrival here between November and May for their south and north-bound migrations.

The main attraction for our visit many years ago was the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Built in 1870, Point Reyes Lighthouse was a necessary aid-to-navigation for sailors. Situated along a major ocean shipping route north of bustling San Francisco, the waters and winds here can be extremely treacherous. The rugged coastline is unforgiving for beached whales and sailors alike. To make matters worse, Point Reyes is considered the 9th foggiest place on Earth and 2nd foggiest location in North America with 200 foggy days a year! In addition to the lighthouse, two United States Life-Saving Service stations (later U.S. Coast Guard small boat stations) were built to assist mariners in distress. Semper Paratus!

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise our Point Reyes visit was on a foggy day. It felt like we were walking through one thick cloud, especially going down the 313 steps to the lighthouse with the Pacific Ocean crashing 300 feet below on either side. I can only imagine how excited former head light keepers and keeper assistants were to see sunlight! If you want to virtually visit Point Reyes Lighthouse on a sunny day, go here.

On a clear day, from other folks pictures, the view from the lighthouse looks amazing!

The final cookie for the 2020 Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies is admittedly funky. When I was planning the goodie to pair with Point Reyes, my mind instantly went to blue cheese. The roads leading into Point Reyes NS are lined with historic “alphabet ranches” and grazing cows, some of which are over 100 years old…the farms, not the cows.

For more than 150 years, beef and dairy cattle have roamed on Point Reyes pastures. Twenty-four farms operate within the national seashore area, and are technically owned by the U.S. Government. However, these working ranches and dairies are leased by the families who have lived there for generations. In addition to grass-fed beef and gallons of milk and cream, Point Reyes is most notably known for its blue cheese. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company‘s “Original Blue” cheese is a tasty one. The coastal bays around Point Reyes are also home to several oyster farms, but oyster cookies don’t sound appealing. So…blue cheese it is!

My Cranberry Blue Cheese Cookie is a take on an easy shortbread cookie, using cornstarch to help hold the copious amounts of dairy together. Sweetened dried cranberries compliment the tangy blue cheese. Toasted pecans are rolled into the formed dough to add an extra crunch to the cookie’s already crispness. To make them even more festive, a garnish of fresh rosemary leaves are pressed into the sliced dough.

I used Wisconsin-based Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue cheese for its mellow flavor. Its flavor gives taste-testers the sense they’re eating a cheesy cookie, without the pungent, sharp smack from a stronger bleu cheese. If you can’t find Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue, gorgonzola or a Danish blue cheese will also work well. Of course, feel free to adjust with other bleu cheese intensities if you really love this penicillin-packing fromage. Cranberry Blue Cheese Cookies would make an amazing addition to your holiday charcuterie board!

The flavors in this year’s Twelve Days of Cookies are as unique as the places we’ve virtually visited. 2020 sure has been a crazy year, so why not go a little off the beaten path, right?! I hope we’ve inspired you to visit a new place, or, at a minimum, try an unfamiliar recipe. From our kitchen to yours, happy holidays! (2020 you can promptly go away.)

Cranberry Blue Cheese Cookies

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Is it a cookie or a cracker?! With flavor combinations of tangy blue cheese, sweetened dried cranberries, savory rosemary and toasted pecans, this Cranberry Blue Cheese Cookie is a perfect addition to any charcuterie board.

• Author: Erin Thomas
• Prep Time: 30 Minutes
• Cook Time: 18 Minutes Per Sheet
• Total Time: About 45 Minutes + 1 Hour Chill Time
• Yield: Approximately 24 to 28 Cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

12 oz. mild blue cheese, at room temperature*

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2–1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 cup cornstarch

3/4 tsp. salt (kosher, table or sea)

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries, finely chopped

1–1/4 cup pecans, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

Instructions

In a large bowl, using a standing or hand-held mixer, cream butter and blue cheese together until smooth.  Beat sugar into cheese mixture until light and fluffy.

Sift flour, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl.  Slowly add to the cheese mixture, increasing speed to combine thoroughly.  Scrape bottom and sides of bowl as necessary.  Stir in dried cranberries until evenly incorporated.

On parchment or plastic wrap, roll dough into two 2-inch diameter logs.  Place chopped pecans onto the parchment or plastic wrap.  Press and roll dough logs into the pecans to throughly coat the edges.  Tightly wrap dough in the same parchment/plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper, Silpat liners, or leave ungreased. Remove dough logs from refrigerator and wrapping.  Cut into 1/4-inch slices and place on prepared sheets about 1-inch apart.  Gently press 2 to 3 rosemary leaves into each slice.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cookies are a light-golden color and are fragrant.  Cool completely on wire racks.  Store for up to a week in a tightly sealed container.

Notes

*For this recipe, I used Wisconsin-based Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue cheese because of its tangy and mellow tasting notes.  If you cannot find this brand, substitute with equal amounts of Gorgonzola or Danish Blue cheese.