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Bright orange and tangy cranberries pair up in these vibrant Orange Cranberry Cookies – the perfect festive cookie recipe.
If you’re looking for a festive and delicious holiday recipe to add to your cookie trays this year, I’ve got you covered with these orange cranberry cookies!
These vibrant orange cranberry cookies are so easy to make. Cranberry and orange go together so well and I’m always looking for excuses to pair them up.
I’ve got cranberry orange scones and Grand Marnier-spiked homemade cranberry sauce, as well as cranberry orange cinnamon rolls and cranberry orange smoothies. You could say I’m obsessed!
Dried cranberries are often the go-to when it comes to cookies, but these fresh cranberry cookies have a great tart flavor that is complemented by the orange glaze.
You can make the glaze or go without, but I just love the added sweetness it brings!
This is such a great Christmas cookie to add to the dessert tray.
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CRANBERRY COOKIES
Like most cookies, these start out with the creaming method.
You’ll need to make sure to soften your butter ahead of time. Not too soft though! It should not be melty.
Zest your orange using a zester or microplane. Or, use the smallest holes of your box grater. Mix the zest into the sugars and rub with your fingers or use a whisk to blend it well.
Cream together the butter and sugars together. This is easiest with a mixer, but a strong arm will work just as well! I use both white and brown sugars for the best cookie texture.
Then, mix in the egg, orange juice, and vanilla until creamy.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. You can do this before or after creaming the sugars, whichever you prefer!
Once you have both components mixed, add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in increments, until completely mixed in.
Give your cranberries a quick chop (I use the food processor to make it easy) and fold them into the cookie dough so that they are evenly distributed.
Chill the cookie dough for about an hour, and in the meantime preheat the oven, and line your baking sheets. I use parchment paper, but you can also use a silicone liner.
Scoop the cookies onto the baking sheets and bake for about 12 minutes, or until just browned. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once they are cooled, mix up the glaze.
All you need is powdered sugar and orange juice! Whisk them together until smooth, then drizzle over the cookies or dip the tops.
You can also make the icing thicker by adding more sugar, and then spreading on the cookies with a spoon or offset spatula.
The icing will dry as the cookies sit, so be sure to wait until it is set before storing them!
STORAGE TIPS
These orange cranberry cookies will keep in a cookie jar or airtight container for up to a week.
They’re best within 3 days though, so if you don’t plan to eat them quickly, I recommend freezing half the batch.
That way you can make just as many as you like, and save the rest for emergency cookie situations.
To freeze the cookie dough, scoop them as usual and place onto a lined baking sheet. You can place them closer together since you don’t need to worry about spreading, and that way you can get a lot of cookies onto one baking sheet!
Pop the baking sheet into the freezer and chill for about 2 hours, or until the cookie dough balls are completely frozen.
Transfer the balls into freezer-safe ziptop bags or another freezer container. Be sure to label the bag with the type of cookie and baking instructions!
To bake from frozen, simply remove as many cookies as you need. Bake at 375°F for 14-18 minutes. They’ll take a little longer to bake from frozen, so keep an eye on them during the last few minutes.
This is one of my favorite cranberry recipes, so give it a try!
MORE CRANBERRY COOKIES YOU’LL LOVE
- Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies in a Jar
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Orange Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- orange zest from one large orange
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 ½ cups whole fresh cranberries chopped
For the Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine sugars and orange zest, mixing with your fingertips or a whisk until incorporated. Add the sugar mixture to the butter and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes; the mixture will become light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla and orange juice and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients slowly, in increments, mixing well after each addition.
- Carefully fold in the fresh, chopped cranberries by hand.
- Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets at least two inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze:
- Once the cookies have cooled, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth.
- Spread or drizzle the glaze over the tops of cooled cookies. Let stand until set.
- If you prefer a thicker glaze, add in a little more confectioners’ sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Unbelievable! Easily now in my top 5!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Abby! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback.
-Jamie
Hi there…Re: your Cranberry Crumb Bars (last week on 12/100–I would like to double the recipe and put in one larger pan. Any problems with that?
Hi Sally-
You’ll just have to adjust the bake time. :)
Just made this for a cookie exchange tomorrow and they are so good! So happy I saw this recipe! I know it’s going to be a hit!
Wonderful, Patricia! I’m so glad you like them!
Hi, can I use frozen cranberries? Thanks
Hi, Jeannette! I think frozen cranberries would probably work. Let me know if you have any more questions!
I made these today and the flavours were amazing!! One question though.. Are they suppose to be soft and cake like and not like a super crispy cookie?Â
SherylÂ
Hi, Sheryl! They’re not a super crispy cookie, but I suppose you could bake them longer for that consistency. I’m glad you liked them!
Can I use dried cranberries? It is hard to get fresh ones over at my place. If yes, do. I need to change the recipe?
Helen Lee-
You could use dried cranberries, but it will yield a slightly different texture. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
@Jamie,
Would the dried cranberries be better if they were soaked in orange juice before adding?
Hi Sarah – I haven’t tried this and am not sure how it would affect the texture of the final cookies. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out for you. Happy baking!
Jamie
Made these today!! They are delicious! My new favorite cookie.
Thank you!
Katie-
I’m so glad the recipe worked out well for you. Thanks for dropping by.
-Jamie
Yum Yum…..melts my heart away instantly.
Christmas shopping from the couch is the best! How things have changed :) These cookies look amazing! :)