Cranberry orange cookies are a must this holiday season. They’re made with a soft, chewy cookie infused with the wonderful holiday flavor combination of orange and cranberries topped with a simple orange glaze!
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Best Orange Cranberry Cookies
You’re going to love just how easy these holiday cookies are! They’ve got a fragrant citrus flavor from fresh orange juice and zest combined with tart cranberries that pop. Balanced with a sweet orange glaze drizzled on top, these cookies taste just like the holidays!
It’s a simple drop cookie recipe, so there’s no need to roll, shape, or chill the dough, and the entire batch is baked and ready to serve in under 30 minutes. They’re a great option for last-minute guests, Christmas cookie exchanges, or to add a quick dessert to your baking list during the busy holiday season.
I always have these on my holiday cookie tray next to red velvet crinkle cookies, snowball cookies, and cream cheese cookies. And because they’re not overly sweet, I will indulge in a cookie or two for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.
If you love that combination of classic holiday flavors as much as I do, you’re going to want to try my cranberry bread and cranberry orange relish next!
Cranberry Orange Cookies Ingredients Notes
The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.
- Baking staples: You’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar.
- Butter and an egg: Bring them out of the fridge with enough time for the egg to come to room temperature and the butter to soften. Usually about 30-40 minutes before you begin.
- Orange juice and orange zest: Zest the orange first and then cut it in half to squeeze out some fresh orange juice. You’ll need more for the glaze.
- Dried cranberries: The tart flavor of the cranberries pairs so well with the orange flavor. You can substitute with fresh cranberries or even raisins. Chop them up into smaller pieces and fold them in as directed.
- For the glaze: Powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. If you’ve run out of fresh oranges, you can use store-bought orange juice. Or, omit the orange flavor and make it a simple vanilla glaze.
Variations To Try
1. These cookies would work as cranberry lemon cookies too. Swap the juice and zest, and you’re good to go.
2. Fold a cup of white chocolate chips into the dough for added sweetness. We do something similar with my white chocolate cranberry cookies.
3. You can also toss in a cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
4. Drizzle some melted white chocolate or dark chocolate on the cookie instead of the orange glaze.
5. Sprinkle some coarse sugar over the cookies before they go into the oven.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Cookies
The dough for these cookies comes together in minutes. Let me show you how you can have freshly baked cookies in under 30 minutes!
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. This includes flour, salt, and leavening agents.
Step 2: In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until creamy. This should be about 3 minutes. Then, add in the egg, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Blend until everything is nicely incorporated. This should be easy since your eggs and butter were brought to room temperature!
Step 3: Gradually add the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Mix in between each addition to ensure the dry ingredients are blended. However, be careful not to overmix the dough.
Step 4: Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the dried cranberries. Use a cookie scoop to scoop dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave an inch or two of space between each cookie.
Step 5: Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350° F oven. Once they’re lightly golden brown around the edges on the bottom, they’re done. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze.
Step 6: Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl until smooth and lump-free.
Step 7: Place the wire rack over the baking sheet with parchment paper and use a spoon to drizzle the cooled cookies. The parchment-lined sheet underneath will catch the excess mess! I like to add a bit of extra orange zest as an extra bit of flavor.
Tips
- Make a second batch! They freeze well, so why not?!
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix your cookie dough.
- With that being said, do not over mix. This is the fastest way to end up with dry, crumbly cookies.
- To ensure soft and chewy cookies, do not leave them in too long. As soon as you see them turn a slight golden color, they can be taken out. They will continue to set on the pan.
- If the cookies are too soft to move to a wire rack, let them sit on the pan for a few minutes first.
How to Store Leftovers
Room temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. No need to refrigerate them. If you’re stacking them, add a piece of parchment paper between the layers so they don’t stick together.
Freeze: To freeze them, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Keep them frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before biting into them again.
Make ahead: You can freeze the dough and bake it later. Roll the dough balls and add them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flash freeze them until they are solid and then place them in a freezer container.
This way, they won’t clump up when frozen, and you can take as many as you need out to bake. No need to thaw them; you can bake them straight from frozen and add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
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Easy Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried cranberries
For the glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and sugar and mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until creamy.1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add in the egg, orange juice, zest and vanilla extract and blend until incorporated.1 egg, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In batches, gradually add in the dry ingredients and mix after each addition, be careful not to over-mix the dough.
- Next, add in the dried cranberries and gently stir them in with a spatula or spoon.1 cup dried cranberries
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Once the cookies have cooled, add the orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium size bowl.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Whisk together until there are no lumps remaining.
- Place the cooled cookies back on the baking tray or place parchment paper under the wire rack to catch any drips from the glaze.
- Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over each cookie.
- Add additional orange zest over the glaze if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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