Irish Soda Bread Cookies

My friend Erin had recommended this recipe to me right before Christmas.  Around the time she had posted this recipe to my facebook wall (Irish Soda Bread Cookies), I was eagerly searching for a New Year's tradition to start with my family.  I had decided that I was going to make a lentil dish (which I still have yet to post), possibly a pork dish (although there aren't specific New Year's main courses that pertain to good luck, pork seems to be a common New Year's dish) and of course we would get the rest of our baking itch out with some sort of cookies.  This seemed perfect.  I already make an Irish Soda Bread for St. Patty's Day, and I really wasn't looking to replace it with the cookie version.  As a particularly enthusiastic Irish family, what better way to bring in New Year's than with a dish that reflects our heritage!  

Unfortunately, there were personal circumstances that prohibited us from making these cookies for New Year's Day.  My household was in complete pandemonium the week between Christmas and New Year's.  Next year will be different, and I will finally start this part of our New Year's tradition.  Since I already had everything for the recipe, and I was lucky enough to have Martin Luther King Day off, I made the cookies this afternoon.  They taste part cookie, part Irish Soda Bread, and part biscuit.  They have just enough sweetness without being a complete sugary cookie.  You can make it with currants, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or dried blueberries.  I made some with dried cherries and some with dried cranberries.  Eoin eats raisins on a daily basis and Bill hates raisins, so I decided to switch it up a little.  I think the next time I make these, I may try the dried blueberries, I'm very intrigued!  

I have placed the link to the original recipe above, below I will show you what I used and how I made my cookies...

The original recipe says it yields 3 dozen cookies but that all depends on how small or large you make your cookies.  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup of butter (1 stick butter, softened)
• 1/2 cup dried currants, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, start with this amount; you will definitely need more as you go to get it to the right consistency
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350º F.
• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  With a pastry blender (if you do NOT have a pastry blender, don't worry!  You can also use a fork to mix everything, OR, you can use 2 butter knives and cut the mixture into opposite directions so mix it), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in your choice of dried fruit.

• Mix in beaten egg.  Pour in milk and mix with a fork to make a soft dough (may need a little more milk, see above).
• The recipe then calls for this step, which I skipped:  On a floured surface, shape dough into a ball and knead lightly 5 or 6 times.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into squares or triangles with a knife (approximately 2 inches in diameter).
  I instead:  Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, which you can soak in cold water, I scooped dough and dropped into balls onto a parchment paper lined and sprayed baking sheet.

• Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.