Brighten up a winter day or your holiday cookie tray with these stunning Cranberry Orange Cookies
One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking cookies. And even better is loading up my kiddos and dropping off trays of cookies to family and friends. A good tray of cookies has to have just the right variety of cookies: I like a mix of chocolatey cookies, shortbread, sugar cutouts, gingerbread, and these Cranberry Orange Cookies. In a season of overeating, the bright flavors of orange and cranberry stand out and are refreshing compared to all the heavy and sweet food otherwise.
During the Thanksgiving and winter holiday season, cranberries are often on the table as a main dish. However, cranberries are delicious as part of sweet treats like bread, muffins, and cookies as well. Cranberry and orange go together like peas and carrots. Like lemon and lime. Like peanut butter and milk chocolate. You get the picture! Both cranberries and oranges have that tart-sweet quality and together, they magnify each other’s best qualities.
Additionally, when you put those two ingredients into a delicately sweet cookie dough, the result is ridiculously good. Even as a chocoholic, I love Cranberry and Orange Cookies. These cookies bake up into tender, sweet and slightly tart bites that taste just like the holidays, and they’re easy to make. Even better, they freeze well so you can have them on hand for special events or unexpected guests.
Orange Zest: a quick how-to
When baking with any citrus, the part of the fruit that releases the most flavor is the zest, or peel. That’s where the oil is located which releases the wonderfully tart flavor and aroma. However, you don’t just want to get out your box grater and shred the peel entirely. For an orange, to get the flavorful zest, use a box or handheld grater and gently grate the orange part of the peel. Avoid grating too deeply into the white, pulpy pith. This has a bitter taste, so just work your way around the orange, grating the orange peel only.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Cranberry Orange Cookies freeze beautifully. To make ahead and store, simply let them cool, place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, let them thaw on the counter for about 30 minutes. You can store leftover cookies the same way.
Serving Suggestions
Cranberry Orange Cookies are delicious during the holidays, or for the colder months when bright citrus flavors are welcome. You can dress up the cookies a bit with some decorator’s sugar (clear or orange colored). Just sprinkle it on before baking. Additionally, you can glaze these cookies for an added touch. Let the cookies cool completely and mix a tiny bit of milk into 2 cups of powdered sugar. Whisk until you get a pourable glaze and pour a little over the top of each cookie.
For some other tempting cookie recipes, take a look at these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, these hot cocoa cookies with marshmallows or these gooey and delicious brownie cookies.
Cranberry-Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, followed by the orange zest and fresh orange juice, mixing until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined and a soft dough forms.
- Fold in the dried cranberries, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden. Keep an eye on them to prevent over-baking.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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