Cranberry and orange come together in this soft and chewy holiday drop cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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.
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.
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 to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- 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
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.
Nutrition
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80 comments
Jaime Heller
I love the cranberry/orange flavor combination so I thought this was a must try recipe. As other reviews have stated this recipe made as is, spreads horribly and no amount of chilling the dough is going to change that. I had to add a full 3/4 cup of flour after I had already baked a full sheet of 12 cookies. With the addition of the flour, they puffed up nicely and the flavors were still great. I used a cookie scoop (I believe 1-1.5 T) to portion and had to increase the baking time to 11-12 minutes per batch.
Anita
Thanks. Salted or unsalted butte?
Light brown sugar?
Michelle
We made these last year and now, these are the ONLY cookies my daughters and grandsons want to make this year! They’re AMAZING.