Cranberry Orange Cookies

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A fresh new take on my Lemon Crinkle Cookies, these Cranberry Orange Cookies are a new holiday favorite! Simple to make in one bowl, soft baked to perfection with the perfect amount of tang and chewy sweet goodness. The perfect addition to your Christmas Cookie list.

Cranberry Orange Cookies | A Holiday Favorite

So happy to be sharing this new cookie recipe with you today! I love a classic chocolate chip cookie, but sometimes for the holidays, you need something a little more festive and these Cranberry Orange Cookies fit the bill.

These are a festive version of my famous Lemon Crinkle Cookies, just jazzed up with orange and cranberry. Super simple to throw together in only 1 bowl and they have the perfect amount of chewy-yet-tangy goodness. Lovely and light, just how I like my cookies.

Main Ingredients Needed

You don’t need a lot to make these tasty Cranberry Orange Cookies. Lot’s of simple cookie-making staples plus orange juice, zest and fresh cranberries! Here’s what you need:

• Butter + Sugar – for flavor and to sweeten!
• Vanilla – this goes great with the citrusy notes of the orange and the tartness of the cranberries.
• Egg – this is used for structure and for texture.
• Orange Zest + Juice – I used a navel orange to get the zest and fresh orange juice!
• Baking Powder, Baking Soda + Salt – to help the cookies rise and create chewiness. Salt is used to balance all of the flavors.
• Flour – this fills out the rest of the cookies.
• Cranberries – chopped up, these little guys are tart but are perfectly festive for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
• Powdered Sugar – this creates the ‘crinkled’ effect, plus adds a little more sweetness.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Cookies

Here’s the basic rundown, make the dough, roll it in powdered sugar, bake, cool, then devour! For full details on how to make Cranberry Orange Cookies, see the recipe card down below.

1. Start by creaming butter and sugar together. I just made these by hand, but a stand mixer would be fine to use too.
2. Next, stir in an egg, some vanilla, a whole lot of orange zest, and a little orange juice too. It might look a little funky, but this is totes normal.
3. Now, stir in all your dry ingredients. This is just flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Voila! Cookie dough! I seriously could just stop here and eat this with a spoon. I LOVE COOKIE DOUGH.
4. But, we need to resist and forge ahead. Grab some fresh cranberries. Give them a wash and chop them up pretty fine. Add them to your cookie dough and give another quick stir.
5. Then you can scoop the dough into balls and roll in a pile of powdered sugar.
6. Place the cookies onto your baking sheet and bake for a couple of minutes.
7. You want them soft…..and crinkly. That was probably a given though. Let these cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once they cool down enough, start shoveling these bad boys straight into your mouth. I love these because the cranberries are slightly tart and make the perfect addition to the orange.

Storing These Cookies

Because it’s the holidays and most of us are baking up a storm, we want to be able to store these sweet treats for as long as possible! Here are the best ways to store these Cranberry Orange Cookies to keep them fresh and chewy for as long as possible.

At Room Temperature

Once your cookies are cool, transfer them to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to two days with a slice of plain white bread. The bread helps keep the cookies moist and soft.

In the Refrigerator

To store your cookies in the fridge, transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to four days. This can make the edges get a little too crispy for my liking. But! To enjoy, simply microwave briefly for a few seconds to get them warm and soft again.

In the Freezer

To store your cookies in the freezer, transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to three months. To enjoy, simply microwave briefly for a few seconds to get them warm and soft.

More Cranberry Recipes to Try!

• Cranberry Orange Donuts
• Holiday Cranberry Salsa
• Lemon Cranberry Coffee Cake
• Cranberry Fluff Pie
• Lemon Cranberry Scones

Give these simple Cranberry Orange Cookies a whirl today! You will love these soft and chewy treats.

The printable recipe card is below, have a great day!

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4.85 from 32 votes

Cranberry Orange Cookies

Cranberry Orange Cookies are simple to make and have the perfect amount of chewy-yet-tangy goodness. Perfect for Holiday baking!

servings 24 small cookies

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 whole egg
• ▢ orange zest zest of 1 navel orange
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh cranberries chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cups powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  
• Whip in vanilla, egg, orange zest and juice.
  
• Scrape sides and mix again.
  
• Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar.
  
• Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.
  
• Stir in chopped cranberries.
  
• Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a 2 teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar.
  
• Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
  
• Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
  

Notes

*If using a nonstick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cranberry Orange Cookies