Cranberry Orange Cookies

Golden on the outside and chewy on the inside these cranberry orange cookies have bursts of bright and fresh flavor throughout them. With a hint of warm vanilla these cookies can be enjoyed any time of year.

Made with bright, orange flavor and sweet but tangy cranberries, these orange cookies have the best of all flavor profiles. They need time to chill which means you can make them well in advance of when you need them and dress them up for any occasion.

Using both brown and white sugar in the base, the cookies have a rich, chewy texture that’s both comforting and uplifting when paired with the pop of freshness from the orange zest. From showers to Sunday night dinner or a more formal cookie exchange, the tasty flavor contrast of these cranberry orange cookies is always a hit.  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg and 1 yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation time:

Dough preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling: 3 hours
Baking time: 12 minutes
Cookie cooling time: 10 minutes
Total active time: 39 minutes
Total time including chilling: Approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes
Serves: 18 cookies

Instructions:

Preparation: In a large bowl, beat the butter with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest until creamy.

Incorporating liquids: Add the egg and yolk along with the vanilla and beat until fully combined.

Adding the dry ingredients: In the same bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and chopped blueberries. Stir in with a spatula until well combined.

Chilling: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Forming cookies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough balls using a #20 scoop, leaving space between them.

Baking: Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Cooling: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations and Substitutions

White chocolate: Add some white chocolate chips to the cookie batter for a richer and more indulgent taste.

Drizzle: Take the cranberry and orange cookies up a notch in decadence by drizzling on some cream cheese or white chocolate glaze. Or play into the citrus base and use a lemon or orange glaze on top.

Crunch: Add some chopped pecans to the top of the cookies or press them into granulated sugar for a different texture.

Extract: To bring out more citrus flavor try using an orange or lemon extract. Or you could make a nuttier taste with almond extract.

Cookie sandwiches: A fun one at any age, once the chewy cookies have cooled enough, pipe a layer of cream cheese frosting between two cookies to make a cookie sandwich.

How To Make the Best Cranberry Orange Cookies

Use a high-quality butter to bring out a rich flavor and make sure it’s fully softened before you need it. Otherwise, it won’t mix as well with the other ingredients and might cause an uneven texture in the cookies.

To prevent dry cookies, measure your flour with the spoon method and not by scooping it into the cup.

When zesting the orange, take care to only use the bright part of the peel. The white part of the orange peel will give the cookies a bitter taste.

For even baking, use a cookie scoop to portion the batter so that you know the cookies are uniform. Likewise, don’t skip chilling the dough as this is where it sets and comes together.

The cookies won’t look done when you take them out of the oven, but that’s okay! Bake them until they’re golden and know that they’ll firm up and continue to bake while they cool. They’ll also be very delicate here so give them a few minutes to finish cooking before transferring them to a wire rack.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days. You can freeze baked cookies as well for up to 2 months but know that they will lose a bit of their chewy texture upon thawing.

Make ahead: You can also freeze the cookie dough in portions if you want to make the batter in advance of when you need it. Make sure to freeze the cookies on a flat surface before putting them into a container once they’re frozen. Let the dough thaw in the fridge and then bake them chilled. Adjust the cooking time if necessary.