Homemade Cranberry Newtons

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 8 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 ounces sugar
• 2 ounces light brown sugar
• 1 ounce honey
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 2 teaspoons orange zest, divided
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 ounces orange juice, divided
• 7 ounces dried sweetened cranberries
• 5 ounces raspberries, fresh or frozen

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, then put it aside. In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter with the sugars, honey, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon orange zest on medium, stopping to scrape the bowl when it needs it, until pale and airy, 3 to 5 minutes. Drop the speed to low and mix in the egg yolks 1 at a time, scraping the bowl and letting each one blend in well before adding the next. Add the flour mixture and mix only until it disappears, then pour in 2 tablespoons orange juice and mix just until the dough comes together.
2. Spread out a large piece of plastic wrap and scrape the dough into the middle with a rubber spatula. Fold the plastic over it, press the dough into a wide disc, wrap it again with more plastic, and chill it for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Put the cranberries, raspberries, remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract into a food processor. Run the machine until the fruit turns into a smooth paste.
4. Set an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
5. Flour a large work surface generously, then take the dough out of its wrapping. Sprinkle flour over the top and roll it to about 1/4" thickness. This dough likes to stick, so lift it, shift it, and dust both the counter and the dough again as needed.
6. With a sharp knife, trim the dough into strips 6 inch long and about 3 1/2 inches wide. Spoon the filling carefully down the length of each strip, making a line in the center that is 1-inch wide and 1/4-inch tall. Lift 1 side of the dough into the middle, then bring the other side over so the dough overlaps and forms a bar. Turn the bar seam side down, cut it into 1 inch cookies, and move them to the prepared cookie sheet.
7. Bake until the cookies feel firm on top and are lightly golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Move them to a wire rack for 5 minutes, then while they are still warm, tuck them into a large zipper-lock bag and seal it. The little bit of steam in the bag softens them into that cakey newton texture. Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.