Easy cranberry orange cookies recipes, homemade with simple ingredients. Soft and crumbly. Loaded with dried cranberries and orange zest.
This Christmas cookie takes the classic oranges cranberry flavor to new heights. These cookies are just as tasty as some of my other cranberry desserts such as: Coconut Cranberry Cake and Cranberry Orange Scones.
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How to make cranberry orange cookies recipe?
- Cream butter- Until light and fluffy.
- Add flavors- Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Add flour- Mix until just combined.
- Add cranberries- Make sure they are dried and finely chopped up.
- Roll into a ball- Use your hands to form the dough into a ball
- Chill- Cover the dough and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
- Roll out dough- Roll it out between two sheets of wax paper
- Cut out shapes- Use cookie cutters to cut out any shapes you like.
- Bake- For 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees F.
- Enjoy- Let the cookies cool. Then, drizzle melted white chocolate, let it set, dig in!!
Variations for Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Mix in nuts- They should be finely chopped. Try walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans. Cranberry pistachio cookies are very popular during Christmas holidays!
Add other dried fruits- Such as dried raisins, apricots, mangoes, apples and so much more.
Cranberry white chocolate chip cookies- Mini sized ones are the way to go.
Add ginger- Candied ginger adds a sharp sweet and spicy flavor.
Add shredded coconut- That gives these the cookies a more chewy texture and tropical flavor.
Add other zests and flavors- Such as lemon, lime zests and other extracts like almond, caramel, cinnamon e.t.c.
Add herbs– Mix in crushed dried herbs such as rosemary, lavender, roses.
Cookie sandwiches- Fill a jam filling between two cookies for a delightful treat.
Color– Use gel coloring to tint the dough and make it fun for parties and holidays.
Tips and Techniques
IMPORTANT: THIS COOKIE DOUGH IS SUPPOSED TO BE CRUMBLY. DO NOT ADD WATER OR MILK TO THIN IT OUT BECAUSE IT WILL CHANGE THE TEXTURE.
You must use powdered sugar- For best results, it cannot be replaced with granulated sugar or brown sugar because it blends together better and smoother with butter.
Can you substitute fresh cranberries for dried cranberries? No, using fresh cranberries in the cookie would make them too soggy and soft once baked. These are not fresh "White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies," which is an entirely different recipe.
Can you freeze these cookies? Yes, baked cookies can be frozen up to 3 months in a sealed airtight container.
How to store cookies? They can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Butter must be at room temperature- Because it mixes together smoothly and evenly than compared to chilled butter.
Use unsalted butter- Because salted butter makes these cookies too salty.
There are no eggs, baking powder or baking soda- This recipe is so unique that it doesn't require those ingredients. They are not supposed to be soft and fluffy cookies.
Chill dough- This is very important because it make the dough easier to handle and not sticky.
Do not over mix cookie dough- Because that will make these cookies very tough.
Note the lower baking temperature- It's not 350 degrees F but actually 325 degrees F. Baking at a high temperature will burn them.
Line cookie trays with parchment paper- Because this prevents cookies from sticking to the pan and also make their removal easy plus easy clean-up.
More Christmas Cookies
Recipe
Dried Cranberry Orange Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cups Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1.5 tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dried cranberries Finely chopped
- 1 cup White chocolate Melted, For drizzling
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, orange zest and mix until smooth.
- Add flour and mix until just combined. The cookie dough will be very soft and crumbly. That’s the way it’s supposed to be!
- Stir in chopped cranberries.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.
- Cover and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Use a spatula to gently pick them up and place them on a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are firm and slightly golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool down completely.
- Then, drizzle melted white chocolate on top and let it set. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Until next time, tata my lovelies!
Keira
These look so good! I need to try these out for our next event.
JRose
Made this yesterday, turned out great. I only had salted butter but it was still good and not too salty. Put extra dried cranberry in and since I don't have a rolling pin, pressed them into a 9x13 glass pan. I'll always make them this way, good recipe.