1. Add the margarine, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until very light and fluffy. Mix both flours, cocoa powder, and salt and sift into the large bowl – mix until just combined. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Take half of the dough out and place in a second bowl. Add the coarsely chopped cashews to one bowl and the chopped cranberries and chopped chocolate to the other bowl and fold them into each batch of dough. Place each dough portion on a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a log of about 8 inches (20cm) and wrap it tightly with the plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. Place the finely chopped cashews on a cutting board and spread them out. Place the log with the cashew-infused dough on top and roll it in the chopped nuts to cover it completely – you might have to press some nuts into gaps by hand. Wrap again in some plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you continue.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Use a very sharp or serrated knife and cut the first dough log into (more or less) 1/2-inch thick slices. Place them with some space in between on the prepared baking sheet. If the slices got a wonky shape from cutting them you can easily make them round again. Bake for about 16-17 minutes – the cookies should have gotten some color but can still be a bit soft when you touch them. Take out of the oven, let cool down for a moment on the baking sheet, then remove and let cool down completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the second dough log.

4. To decorate the cookies you can dunk them into melted chocolate on one side and place some festive sugar pearls/leaves on top of the chocolate cranberry cookies or sprinkle the chocolate cashew cookies with some flaky sea salt (optional). Let the chocolate dry completely and store finished cookies in a tin box (or similar) in a cool place.