The absolute best cranberry orange cookies are a delicious cookie with bursts of orange flavor, and sweet cranberries. These delightful little treats are a wonderful party addition to make this holiday season.
There are many family traditions that we have over the winter. Baking a variety of Christmas cookies like sourdough thumbprint cookies, sourdough gingerbread cookies, and sourdough sugar cookies with the kids huddled around the kitchen island is one of them.
These orange cranberry cookies will be added to that list of goodies we make every year, they are absolutely wonderful. Sweet, tangy and simply delicious. This is the perfect cookie and a great recipe to use next time you are making a holiday cookie tray, or have a Christmas cookie exchange. It may even become your new favorite cookie to eat all year long!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Holiday traditions – There is something so special about that time of year when you get to re-make favorite recipes from last year and years before. This one is the perfect recipe to add to your collection!
Flavorful – The bright flavor combos of tangy orange and sweet cranberry work amazing together in this cookie recipe.
Easy – Made with simple ingredients, these fresh baked cookies take just a little bit of prep time and a quick chill in the fridge to make the best treat with little effort.
Ingredients
Orange Zest – Preferably use organic oranges when zesting, since the skin will be used. Orange zest adds such a lovely, fresh orange flavor. If you don’t have oranges you could substitute with lemon zest.
Vanilla – Want to make your own vanilla extract? Learn how to easily make vanilla at home here.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Cookies
Step 1: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, combine both sugars and the orange zest. Mix until the zest is completely incorporated with the sugar.
Step 3: Add the melted butter to the orange sugar and beat using an electric mixer for about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until combined.
Step 5: Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients along with the dried cranberries. Beat again until the dough has formed. Do not over mix.
Step 6: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough per cookie and place onto the cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a few more cranberries if desired before baking.
Step 8: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Cranberry Orange Cookies
- You could freeze a batch of dough to have on hand for unexpected guests.
- You can choose to snip the cranberries with kitchen scissors into 2-3 pieces just to achieve smaller bits of cranberries.
- These cookies are lovely for Christmas or Thanksgiving. They are easy enough for any day, but beautiful enough for a special occasion.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you could. Use about half the amount. They will also be much more tart than the dried, sweetened ones. Cutting the cranberries in half or chopping them will help to prevent them from popping while baking.
Cranberry orange is a classic fall and winter flavor commonly associated with Christmas. Cranberries and oranges are in season during the fall and winter months, which makes them both great candidates to work into seasonal dishes and baked goods.
Store these cranberry orange cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four or five days. Freeze up to three months.
More Cookie Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Rustic Granola Cookies
- Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
- The Best Lactation Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries, plus more to top
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, combine both sugars and the orange zest. Mix until the zest is completely incorporated with the sugar.
- Add the melted butter to the orange sugar and beat using an electric mixer for about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients along with the dried cranberries. Beat again until the dough has formed. Do not over mix.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough per cookie and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Top each cookie with a few more cranberries if desired before baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- You could freeze a batch of dough to have on hand for unexpected guests.
- You can choose to snip the cranberries with kitchen scissors into 2-3 pieces just to achieve smaller bits of cranberries.
- These cookies are lovely for Christmas or Thanksgiving. They are easy enough for any day, but beautiful enough for a special occasion.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I assume icing sugar is powdered sugar?
Yes!
Can I use gluten free flour?
If you use a 1 to 1 gluten free AP flour, it should be fine!
These sound delicious, could they be converted to sourdough?
These cookies sound amazing! They remind me of a treat my mom would do for the holidays. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
All purpose flour, is that plain or self raising in the UK? Thank you
I think plain flour.
Is there something I can substitute for the icing sugar in the dough? We don’t do sugar. I don’t mind the cookies not being dusted.
I’ve never tried it, but I know some people swap out monk fruit for sugar.
This recipe looks delicious! I plan to bake these for the Christmas season.
Have you tried shaping the dough in a log, chilling and slicing before baking?
Thanks.
I have not, but I bet that would work. Let me know if you try it.
Cranberry orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations! Thank you for sharing. I am definitely going to bake this for my family this year!
Happy baking.
These look so yummy! I can’t wait to try them! I hope to make them for Thanksgiving as we are hosting our very first Thanksgiving in our first home!
My sister in law can’t have dairy so I’m curious if you know of a good butter alternative? Maybe coconut oil?
Coconut oil may work. I’ve never tried it, but after a little research coconut oil may be substituted for butter one to one in baking, but the cookies may be a little crunchier. The other alternative would be a vegan butter.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try them 😊 I’ll be sure to report back with an update!
It’s like your cranberry sauce in a cookie! Great idea, these look amazing and I don’t know why I’ve never seen a recipe like this before!