Cranberry Orange Cookies are sugar cookes filled with dried cranberries and orange zest, and rolled in sugar and orange zest before baking. They make great Christmas cookies!
These cookies are a must make for me during the holidays! Some of my other must makes are Crockpot Candy, Holly Crackles, and White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Crackers!
Today I’m sharing my most favorite Christmas cookie ever!
Okay, so it’s not really the kind of cookie you’d think about for Christmas.
Normally it’s Snickerdoodles or decorated cut out sugar cookies or Italian Sugar Cookies dipped in a glaze and covered in sprinkles.
But I have been making these Cranberry Orange Cookies every Christmas for years now. And the holidays are the only time I make so I look forward to them all year long.
What You Need
Scroll down for exact measurements!
- Butter – let it sit at room temperature until softened.
- Sugar – sugar is going both in the cookies and on the cookies!
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder – this is the leavening agent for the cookies.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Dried cranberries
- Orange zest – use a microplane to remove the zest of a fresh orange. The zest is going into the cookie batter and into the sugar mixture that you roll the cookies in.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Prep. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. Using an electric mixer, mix butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Add cranberries and orange zest. Fold in cranberries and 1 tablespoon orange zest.
- Refrigerate. Chill dough while you make orange sugar.
- Make sugar mixture. Combine ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the 2 together until everything is combined and mixture is fragrant.
- Shape and roll. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in orange sugar. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake and cool. Bake at 350F for 10 – 13 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.
How Long Are They Good For?
Cranberry Orange Cookies will be fine at room temperature for about a week. Make sure to store them in an airtight container.
You can extend the life of these cookies by an extra couple days if you store them in the fridge – make sure to use an airtight container!
Can You Freeze Cookie Dough?
You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it (like in preparation of the holidays). Either freeze it in a large disc or after you roll it into balls. If freezing single balls of dough, freeze on a baking sheet with an inch between each dough ball and once frozen, transfer to a freezer ziploc bag, making sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag.
Cranberry Orange Cookies dough will be good for up to 3 months in the freezer. You can bake them from frozen by adding a few extra minutes to the baking time or let them defrost for several hours in the refrigerator before baking.
Can You Freeze Cranberry Orange Cookies?
To freeze already baked cookies, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then transfer to a freezer ziploc bag.
They will be fine in the freezer for up to up to 3 months. To defrost, let the cookies sit at room temperature until thawed.
More Holiday Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Italian Sugar Cookies
- Christmas Confetti Cookies
- Candy Cane Blossoms
- Coconut Macaroons
- Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
- Butterscotch Pudding Cookies
Make sure you subscribe to my email list to get all my new recipes delivered right to your inbox!
You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest for even more!
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Cranberry Orange Cookies are sugar cookes filled with dried cranberries and orange zest, and rolled in sugar and orange zest before baking. They make great Christmas cookies!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For the rolling sugar:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Using an electric mixer, mix butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Chill dough while you make orange sugar.
- Combine ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the 2 together until everything is combined and mixture is fragrant.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in orange sugar. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake 10 - 13 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 47mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
Sherry says
Hi I am wanting to try this but is it real butter or can I use margarine thank u
Amanda Livesay says
I used real butter in this recipe but I’m sure margarine would work.
Patricia Kopinetz says
Can you use fresh cranberries?
Lori B says
I only have fresh cranberries and. I’m going to give this recipe a shot using them, really, how bad can it be
Cindy says
What a delightful cookie. I made a double batch today I had leftover orange sugar and the house still smells heavenly because I left it out. The cookies at one inch size took only 10 minutes to get lightly golden brown. They are delicious and chewy. The sugar crisped nicely for just a little crisp on the outside. I have them in a sealed container until tomorrow. I imagine the orange will intensify a little after resting. Fabulous!!
Anetta says
Hello,
I would like to give them a try, they look easy to make and I’m not advanced baker…;) O wonder however if I could substitute an egg with something to make them vegan… Have you tried? Typically I would add a bit of flaxseeds, apple sauce or ripped banana to replace an egg on recipe, I wonder which one would taste the best.
Thank you
Anetta
Noelle Kirsch says
I have a question are these study cookies or crispy/crunchy?
Noelle Kirsch says
I meant soft or crispy/crunchy
Sandy says
Can I use craisins instead of dried cranberries?
Amanda Livesay says
Definitely! :)
Rahul says
Does this recipe only make half dozen? Sorry if this is a dumb question….this will be my first time baking cookies
from scratch.
rahul says
Made the coonkies, found that my batter sticky, The cookies were very thin. I added a little four, made a big difference. Delicious, the family loves them.
<a href="https://oprice.in/blog/"
carrie clark says
My question is:
flour? self rising, all purpose, or cake flour
Concetta Chambers says
Hi can you freeze the cookies after you make them ? Thank You Merry Christmas 🎄
Connie
Celista says
Salted or unsalted butter?
Bonnie says
I made these December 9, 2019. I added extra orange peel in the cookie and also pistachio nuts. This is a very good cookie recipe and I will definitely make it again. 😊
Gail says
Mine flattened out like a crape. I add about a tbsp more flour, chilled the dough, and turn the heat up to 360. Same results. Any suggestions? They are so tasty I would love to perfect mine.
Rita DeFelice says
I just made these for the first time and they are wonderful. Adding to my Christmas cookies this year. My husband loves them.
For me, They are just a little sweet though. Could I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup. I really like rolling them in sugar and don’t want to cut that out.
Your thoughts would be appreciated. If it would change consistency then I won’t change it.
Thanks so much.
Kathy says
I just made these and AMAZING is the only word…. I added white chocolate chips, as someone else mentioned. Perfection in every bite. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lee Sollitt says
Wonderful cookies. My dried cranberries seem a little too dry so after chopping them I let them marinate in a bit of grand marnier So good. And it enhances the orange flavour.
Sherry says
Hi I made these and they are not like the ones one pic what did I do wrong i followed the recipe and it was a flop.i will try them again.
Jacqui says
We made this recipe as written for our Christmas cookie assortment and loved it, plan to make again next year if not before that!
Eve says
Hi
Would like to know if I can use brown sugar. I love ? cookies but I need to bake with less sugar. Thks Eve
Lisa Bogan says
Super yummy and easy to make!