Cranberry and orange come together in this soft and chewy holiday drop cookie.
Every holiday season I try several new cookie recipes. Most of them are tasty, but only a select few go into the permanent recipe file with favorites like Four Spice Crackles and Rolo Cookies. These Cranberry Orange Cookies are a definite keeper!
Honestly, these cookies are just about perfect. They are soft and chewy, just like a good cookie should be. And orange and cranberry is such a wonderful holiday flavor combination.
These cookies are amazing! Nice refreshing taste. They definitely made my Christmas Cookie list. ~ Gayle
My family couldn’t stop raving about these cookies, and neither could the friends we shared them with. And I love that they’re so easy to make.
Who says a simple drop cookie can’t be the star of your holiday cookie tray? These cookies also freeze well, which is a big plus if you like to get a head start on your holiday baking.
I also love that these cookies don’t require any special extracts or flavorings–just regular orange juice and zest. Sometimes, the simplest recipes are the best.
And everyone I’ve ever shared these cookies with loves them and asks for the recipe. In fact, every year when the holiday season rolls around, people start asking if I’ll be making my Cranberry Orange cookies.
Made these cookies to take along to Thanksgiving dinner at a dear friends house. They were a hit. These are now one of my favorite cookies. Super easy to make as well. ~ Jennifer
Don’t skip the glaze! It only takes a minute to whip up and adds so much to the overall flavor and presentation.
I know I’ll be making these soft, sweet Cranberry Orange Cookies for years to come.
Be sure to save this recipe for Cranberry Orange Cookies to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Oranges
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Dried cranberries
- Powdered sugar
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
For the glaze:
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well blended.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in cranberries and pecans, if using.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
- In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for glaze until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Let stand until set.
Video
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Nutrition
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT CRANBERRY ORANGE COOKIES
I actually tweaked a few things bc my nephew is a vegan. So I used vegan butter, flaxseed “egg” and they came out delicious! Not flat at all and very flavorful. It’s nice to know I could still follow the recipe and only have to change a few things and they still came out great. ~ Esli
I made your cranberry orange cookies for my small group. They were amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe. ~ Janet
Oh my goodness, these cookies are incredible! I shared them with some family members and they loved them too! ~ Ruthie
I made these cookies last year and they were delicious! I didn’t want to give most of them away. I am adding these to my traditional holiday cookie list. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! ~ Kiren
I made these cookies as part of a cookie exchange! They were amazing and everyone loved them! Thank you for sharing this perfect combination! ~ A fan
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from All Recipes.
74 comments
Carol Mayo
Quick and easy! Made them today. Followed the recipe, delicious
kavita
I’ve made these cookies for the past four years, and they are such a hit!! I’ve even substituted the cranberry/orange flavor combination for blueberry lemon using dried blueberries, turned out amazing. I love this recipe!!!!!!
Judy
I am going to try these and I hope for a successful batch of delicious cookies. My Mom’s Cranberry Orange Nut Bread is so delicious and that recipe uses cranberries not freeze dried. This recipe sounds pretty close to the ingredients in the Crawford Bread. I will purchase some freeze dried. Also I need to double or triple most cookie recipes. I made 92 Snickerdoodles and everyone was happy to get them. **
Cindy
I followed the recipe exactly except I substituted key lime for the OJ and added 2/3 cup of white chocolate chips, they were wonderful. I used dark brown sugar and they came out a light cream color, I imagine if you used light brown sugar they would be lighter. Great taste, texture and they are so pretty
Nancy
The photo shows a white cookie, but the dough is brown. Can you advise ?
kim reaume
I followed recipe except for having to cook it 7 or more mins.
Lovely recipe, reminiscent of Christmas 100 or so years ago when cranberries and oranges were a huge Christmas treat.
Bake Up, Little Suzy
These cookies were just delicious! I’m a sucker for a chewy cookie and these had a perfect texture. I read other comments about getting flat cookies, so I scooped out the dough balls and chilled them on cookie sheets in the fridge for a few hours before baking and that worked just fine. For the glaze, I swapped out the orange juice and orange zest for a little almond extract, and it was a beautiful complement to the orange flavor in the cookie. Served with cinnamon ice cream *chef’s kiss*
SMM
I made them, they came out great, but who are we kidding? With a cup of brown sugar, they are never going to look as white as what’s shown in the photos.
RAF
I needed a different recipe for a cookie exchange and OMG! These will forever be in my top 3 favorites. I soaked my cranberries for about 20 mins prior and so glad I did. Made 3 doz. Thank you!!
Rose Kelly
Hi Danelle, just finished baking these delicious cookies.I used 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.Thank you and Merry Christmas.Stay safe!
JOAN HERRICK
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried? I noticed some others asked you this as well and you didn’t respond.
Lonna
I can’t wait to to try these, they look amazing and so festive! When you have frozen them, did you freeze them glazed or unglazed? Thanks!
Danelle
Unglazed glazed is a little less messy. 🙂
Sol
We tried these cookies, but they stayed round and a little raw in the center, with the indicated temperature and time
Hannah
Made these cookies and they turned out perfect – so delicious and tender with crispy edges! The dough base was also just as delicious as the orange and cranberry, so I adapted the recipe to a plain chocolate chip and they were still unbelievable! I simply subbed the OJ for water and the nuts/cranberries for semi-sweet chocolate… This recipe will serve as the base for many many variations to come!
Cindy Parker
I just made these cookies and my husband says this is his fave cookie now! Taking them to Christmas gathering hopefully everyone will like them as well. Thank you
Pam Moritz
I had to bake these at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. The flavors were good though.
Terri
I made the glaze with only 1/2 the orange juice and substituted the other half with whiskey. These were outrageously good!!! I’ll definitely be making these again. We all loved them. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sarah
Could these be made as bars?
Danelle
I’ve never tried it…..I honestly don’t know.
Kathi
I made these as refreshments at a fundraising event. Everyone loved them and several asked me to forward the recipe. I’m adding this one to my list of go-to cookies.
Esli
Hi Danelle, I actually tweaked a few things bc my nephew is a vegan. So I used vegan butter, flaxseed “egg” and they came out delicious! Not flat at all and very flavorful. It’s nice to know I could still follow the recipe and only have to change a few things and they still came out great 🙂
Danelle
Wonderful! I’m so glad they worked out well for you.
Jennifer
I’m not sure why some people are advocating not to use the brown sugar. Because of the comments I tried it with and without the brown sugar. Without it the cookie did not spread, it stayed a ball, and it had more of a biscuit or scone texture and flavor. The four people who tried both (myself included) all preferred it with the brown sugar. I did add extra zest and extra cranberries. I took them to a party (about 100 of these and 70 of another type, 50 guests) and all the cookies were gone by the end of the night.
Janet
Hi. I made your cranberry orange cookies for my small group. They were amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Janell seaberg
My cookies were tan not white like the ones pictured. Think it’s the brown sugar. Also you can’t get just 2 dozen and make them as small as the pictured ones.
Janell Seaberg
My cookies were way darker than ones pictured but with 1 cup of brown sugar I can see why. I also could tell I was going to get way more than 2 dozen from the size pictured. Next time maybe no brown sugar as they are more tan than as white as the ones showed. Great flavor though!
Diana
Salted or unsalted butter?
Susan
I just made these for a Christmas surprise. They are wonderful. I almost wanted to keep them for myself – but I won’t.
Jon
Yeah this recipe has too much butter. The ratio for cookies is 3-2-1 (flour, sugar, fat.) and this exceeds the butter component of the ratio. We made it by the recipe and had flat, terrible cookies. Reduced the butter 25% to 3/4 cup and had perfect cookies.
Pam
The recipe already calls for 3/4 cup. Am I missing something? Thanks much.
Danelle
The recipe has been updated to reflect everyone’s feedback.
Ruthie
Oh my goodness, these cookies are incredible! I shared them with some family members and they loved them too! I used my large pampered chef cookie scoop!
After eating a few, I realized I totally forgot to add the brown sugar, oops! If they turned out amazing without it, can’t wait to see how they taste with it in the cookie dough!!
Can’t wait to make these for our Christmas gatherings!!!!
Ruthie
I highly recommend omitting the brown sugar, the cookies turned out flat and way too sweet, just using the white sugar made the cookies absolutely delicious and plenty sweet! These are my favorite cookie!!!!
Melanie Ford
This is a good recipe and nearly exactly the way my Abuela from Zihuatanejo causes it to be I’m excited to try out some of the additional recipes Kristin! I really like your answers how everyone has gaps in their own kitchen and that you aren’t scared to step outside the box. Keep this up! For your”women” who bashed; pity you! What happened to others!
Patti
I have never used cranberries in anything. I bought a bag in the produce dept. Are these considered dry? Can they be used in this recipe?
Danelle
In the produce department they were probably fresh cranberries. Dried cranberries would be with other dried fruits like raisins. They will also look like raisins, but red. It’s possible your produce department had both fresh and dry. A common brand name for dried cranberries is Craisins.
Mary
Great flavour. I recommend chilling the dough before cooking. My cookies went flat. But im sure it was just because the butter was to warm.
Erin
I have made these twice now and each time they turn out so flat. I weighed all of my ingredients in hopes that it would make a difference but it didn’t. Each time I’ve had to add more flour to save the second half of the batch. Has anyone else has this problem?
Ruthie
Please try this the next time you make!!!
I accidentally forgot to add the brown sugar the first time I made them and they turned out fluffy and delicious, determined to make them the way the recipe said, I made them the next day with the brown sugar and mine came out flat too and were too sugary so from then on I am making them without the brown sugar and I get tons of compliments about these amazing cookies! Also, use the large Pampered Chef cookie scoop!!! A definite must!!!!
Natalie
Mine turned out flat even after trying a different baking sheet, so my husband looked up the ratios for baking. We used only 1 1/2 C of butter and they turned out amazing. Keep everything else the same.
Natalie
I was wrong. We made sure to use 1 1/2 sticks of butter
Angela
Can I ask how long these will keep, providing of course they last that long.
Many thanks
Danelle
About 3-4 days and still be soft. They freeze well too.
Mary aguilar
Oh my!! These cookies are a piece of heaven.
Gayle
These cookies are amazing! Nice refreshing taste. They definitely made my Christmas Cookie list.
I did refrigerate the dough over night and set the dough out for about 30 minutes before baking. They came out fine, but not the light color as the picture. So I wonder if it is because they were refrigerated?
Suzie
I made half as recommended, and half gluten free – both came out amazing! Thank you for this recipe
Danelle
Thank you!
Liz
I’m making these for a cookie exchange. Can I make the dough ahead of time and just keep it in the fridge until the day of the party?
Danelle
I think you could make it a few days a head. You may need to let the dough come to room temp before baking, but I’m not sure. You might be able to bake it straight from the refrigerator. The only issue you might have is that as the dried cranberries rehydrate, they may start to turn your dough pink.
Barb
The bottom of the page says 2 dozen. This is why I asked. Thanks for the clarification.
Barb
Hi. Gonna try this cookie. How many dozen does it make? I am hosting a cookie exchange with 11 women and want to make sure I have enough. Thanks
Danelle
Near the top of the recipe is the yield. 3-4 dozen.
Kiren
I made these cookies last year and they were delicious! I didn’t want to give most of them away. I am adding these to my traditional holiday cookie list. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Danelle
Thank you!
A fan
I made these cookies as part of a cookie exchange! They were amazing and everyone loved them! Thank you for sharing this perfect combination! If you can make the glaze ahead of time and let it blend together, it is even better a couple days later. One tip that I learned from a culinary major, be sure the butter is room temperature and so are the eggs.
Danelle
So glad everyone liked them!
Jennifer Hunger
Made these cookies to take along to Thanksgiving dinner at a dear friends house. They were a hit. These are now one of my favorite cookies. Super easy to make as well.
Lynsey
My cookies came out flat.I don’t know what I did wrong.
Linda
Mine were totally flat as well. After reading all of the reviews it seems the brown sugar should be omitted. What a waste of time and money for an ugly flat cookie that I would be embarrassed to serve.
Andrea
Linda, relax
Mia
I baked mine on two different cookie sheets one came out flat and one came out thick and fluffy. lol might be that taste the same, totally different texture and size!
Jennifer Hunger
Next time, try chilling your dough before spooning onto the cookie sheet. I’m going to try this as well.
Danelle
Did you make any adaptations? Like using fresh cranberries in place of dried. Or sometimes it can be old baking soda or powder. Or with me, sometimes I just measure wrong or miss something and don’t even realize.
Jessica
Hello! I made these cookies and mine came out paper thin, and very greasy. I used high quality butter, flour, etc… chilled the dough overnight and my baking powder and soda were new. What could I have done wrong? The flavor is good, but the texture is completely opposite of what I was hoping for! 🙁
Danelle
I’m really not sure. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you.
Connie
I have a few fresh cranberries left, do you think they would work or not sweet enough?
liz
Is it orange juice from a container or fresh squeezed?
Danelle
Either kind is fine Liz!
Ruthie
Hi there! I have made these cookies three times. The first time I accidentally forgot the brown sugar. They were fluffy and delicious! Second try, I put in the brown sugar and they turned out flat. Third time I made them the same way the first time, they were perfection! The recipe with the brown sugar were way to sweet, I prefer the half cup of white sugar only, just thought I would share!
Barb
Thank you for this info. I loved the cranberry/orange flavor and these were so easy to make. I, too found them a bit too sweet and wondered if cutting back on some f the sugar would alter the texture in a bad way. Sounds like I can cut back and still have a delicious cookie.
Hari Chandana
Very delicious combination.. thanks for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Cindy Harris
Cranberry and orange is a perfect combo–and I would never skimp on the glaze–maybe more but never less. Can’t wait to try these cookies.
Julie Casper
Yum! Just made these cookies and they are really good. Not sure why some previous reviewers had a problem with them going flat? I followed the recipe as written, also allowed the egg & butter to be room temp….I do have a gas oven, if that makes a difference. I made mine a little smaller than pictured here, I used a mellon baller and this made a really cute small cookie that I will put in a Christmas tin and give to my neighbors. Merry Christmas!!
Thanks so much!