Cranberry Orange Cookies
Cranberry Orange Cookies
These cranberry orange cookies are a soft buttery cookie that is bursting with orange flavor and tangy cranberries. They are the perfect cookie for the holiday season or any time of the year!
I love the flavors of tart cranberries and orange together and this orange cranberry cookie recipe combine those two flavors beautifully. The cookies are flavored with orange and filled with dried cranberries and then drizzled with a delicious tangy orange glaze. These cookies are perfect for the holidays and make a great addition to cookie trays, for a cookie exchange or they make an amazing gift for friends and neighbors, or they’re great for just whipping up a batch to enjoy! While they are great Christmas cookies they are also wonderful any time.
The flavor and texture of these cookies are absolutely amazing. The cookies themselves are soft and cake like with sweet orange and tart cranberry flavor! The simple glaze made with powdered sugar and orange juice is the perfect topping for these soft and chewy cookies.
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FAQ & TIPS for Orange Cranberry Cookies
Delicious add ins for these cookies-
These sweet cranberry orange cookies are delicious as they are but there are some delicious variations you can make. White chocolate chips or chopped nuts make an amazing addition. Walnuts or pecans are the best to add to these cookies. If you want to add in nuts or chips use about 1/2 a cup for best results.
Use fresh zest-
This cranberry orange cookies recipe turns out best using fresh orange zest and orange juice. If you need to use bottled juice that will work, but you’ll want to use fresh zest. Dried zest doesn’t have as strong a flavor as zest from fresh orange peel. Use a fine grater for best results.
Do not over bake the cookies-
These cookies are a delightful texture that is soft and almost cake like. You want to make sure not to overbake them or they can dry out. Keep an eye on the cookies and watch until they are a light golden brown so that you have nice soft cookies.
Other ideas for topping these cookies-
While we love to top these cookies with orange glaze and a pinch of zest these cookies are also delicious with other decoration. You can skip the glaze and drizzle them with melted white chocolate to add another layer of flavor and sweetness. Another option is to sprinkle them with course sugar or sprinkles. You can also roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking for an exterior more like crinkle cookies.
How to store these cookies-
These cookies are amazing for parties and gatherings and they are also great to make ahead. They keep well at room temperature in an airtight container.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! If you want to have the dough ready to bake fresh cookies you can make this dough ahead of time. Just make the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can refrigerate the dough overnight or for 1-2 days. Just bake according the recipe card directions adjust the baking time to be a bit longer since the dough will be cold.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cranberry Orange Cookies-
For the Cookies
1 Cup Butter (softened to room temperature)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
1 Tbsp Fresh Orange Zest
2 ½ Cups Flour
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
1 Cup Dried Cranberries
For the glaze-
1 tsp Orange Zest (plus more for garnish if desired)
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar (also called icing sugar)
Here’s how to make these Cranberry Orange Cookies
Pre heat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roughly chop the dried cranberries with a sharp knife.
In a medium bowl gently whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well mixed.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in egg, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest and continue mixing until well incorporated.
Gradually add the flour mixture mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon fold in the dried chopped cranberries mixing until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Scoop the Dough out with a tablespoon size dough scoop onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to allow cookies to cool completely.
Once the baked cookies are cooled you can make the glaze.
To make the glaze
combine the orange zest, and powdered sugar in a medium size bowl. Gradually whisk in half of the orange juice and then add it a little orange juice at a time until the desired consistency is reached. You can make this glaze thicker to be more like a frosting or add a little more juice so you can drizzle it across the cookies.
You can glaze the cooled cookies on the cooling rack or place them on a baking sheet. Place parchment paper or wax paper under the cookies before glazing to catch any drips.
Using a spoon drizzle the glaze across each cookie.
Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with orange zest if desired.
Allow the glaze to dry before placing cookies in an airtight container to store. Store in a single layer or place wax paper between the layers.
Orange Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- For the Cookies
- 1 Cup Butter softened to room temperature
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Orange Zest
- 2 ½ Cups Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Dried Cranberries
- For the glaze-
- 1 tsp Orange Zest plus more for garnish if desired
- 2 Tbsp Orange Juice
- 1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop the dried cranberries with a sharp knife.
- In a medium bowl gently whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well mixed.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in egg, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest and continue mixing until well incorporated.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon fold in the dried chopped cranberries mixing until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the Dough out with a tablespoon size dough scoop onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cooled you can make the glaze.
- To make the glaze combine the orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium size bowl. Mix until everything is well incorporated and there are no lumps.
- You can glaze the cooled cookies on the cooling rack or place them on a baking sheet. Place parchment paper or wax paper under the cookies before glazing to catch any drips.
- Using a spoon drizzle the glaze across each cookie.
- Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with orange zest if desired.
- Allow the glaze to dry before placing cookies in an airtight container to store. Store in a single layer or place wax paper between the layers.
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