If you ask me, cranberry and orange are a match made in holiday heaven.
These Christmas cookies bring together two classic winter flavors in a soft, chewy treat that’s perfect for cookie swaps or afternoon snacks with hot tea. The bright citrus notes and tart cranberries create a nice balance that isn’t too sweet.
They’re rolled in a light coating of sugar before baking, which gives them a gentle sparkle and adds just the right amount of crunch to the edges. The centers stay wonderfully tender, and the orange zest makes the whole house smell amazing.
It’s a cookie recipe that feels special enough for the holidays but simple enough to make any time you’re craving something sweet and festive.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Quick preparation – These cookies come together in just 30 minutes, making them perfect for last-minute holiday baking or when you need a quick sweet treat.
- Perfect holiday flavors – The combination of tart cranberries and fresh orange creates that classic winter taste that everyone looks forward to during the holiday season.
- Basic ingredients – Most of these ingredients are pantry staples you likely already have on hand, except maybe the cranberries and oranges.
- Make-ahead friendly – You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months – perfect for planning ahead during the busy holiday season.
What Kind of Cranberries Should I Use?
For these holiday cookies, dried cranberries are the way to go – they work much better than fresh ones since they won’t add extra moisture to your dough.
You’ll find two main types in most grocery stores: sweetened (often called “Craisins”) and unsweetened dried cranberries. The sweetened variety is more common and works great in these cookies, giving you that perfect balance of sweet and tart.
If you’re using unsweetened ones, just know your cookies might have a more pronounced tart flavor. When shopping, look for cranberries that feel soft and moist – if they’re too hard or super dry, they might not give you that nice chewy texture we’re after in the finished cookie.
Options for Substitutions
Need to make some swaps? Here are some helpful substitutions for these festive cookies:
Powdered sugar (for glaze): If you’re out of powdered sugar, blend regular sugar in a food processor until fine. For every cup of sugar, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and blend again.
Butter: You can use margarine or coconut oil (in solid form) as a 1:1 replacement. Just note that butter gives the best flavor and texture, so the end result might be slightly different.
Orange juice and zest: If you don’t have fresh oranges, you can use bottled orange juice, though fresh is better. In a pinch, you can swap with lemon juice and zest, or even tangerine for a different citrus twist.
Dried cranberries: Try dried cherries, raisins, or even chopped dried apricots if you’re out of cranberries. Just make sure to chop larger dried fruits into smaller pieces.
Brown sugar: Out of brown sugar? Mix 1/2 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses. Or just use all white sugar – the cookies will be a bit less chewy but still good!
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking
The success of these cranberry orange cookies heavily depends on the temperature of your butter – using melted or too-soft butter will make your cookies spread too thin and lose their perfect shape, so stick to room temperature butter that’s just soft enough to leave an indent when pressed.
Another common mistake is overmixing the dough after adding the flour, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of tender ones – mix just until the flour disappears into the dough.
The orange zest is crucial for flavor, but be careful not to grate too deeply into the white pith of the orange, as this can add unwanted bitterness to your cookies.
For the best texture and even baking, make sure to chill your dough for at least 30 minutes before baking, and rotate your baking sheets halfway through the cooking time to ensure all cookies bake evenly.
Storage Instructions
Keep Fresh: These cranberry orange cookies stay wonderfully fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you live in a warm climate, you might prefer keeping them in the fridge, where they’ll last for about a week. Just place wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Freeze: Want to get ahead of your holiday baking? These cookies freeze really well for up to 3 months! For unglazed cookies, just pop them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. If they’re already glazed, freeze them in a single layer first, then stack them with parchment paper once frozen.
Make Ahead: You can prepare the cookie dough up to 2 days in advance and keep it wrapped in the fridge. Or roll the dough into balls and freeze them for up to 3 months – just add an extra minute or two to the baking time when cooking from frozen. The orange glaze is best made fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Preparation Time | 15-25 minutes |
Cooking Time | 8-10 minutes |
Total Time | 25-35 minutes |
Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 3500-4000
- Protein: 20-25 g
- Fat: 150-170 g
- Carbohydrates: 500-550 g
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Step 1: Prepare the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to get it ready for baking.
In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of softened butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar until they’re well combined and light in texture.
Add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the creamed mixture, mixing well until everything is fully incorporated.
Step 2: Combine the Mixtures
In a separate bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, then stir together.
Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until everything is well blended and forms a cookie dough.
Step 3: Add the Cranberries and Shape Cookies
Chop 2 cups of dried cranberries if desired, and fold them into the cookie dough by hand, ensuring they’re evenly distributed.
Drop tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing them appropriately to allow for spreading during baking.
Step 4: Bake the Cookies
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Once baked, let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.
Step 5: Prepare and Drizzle the Icing
While the cookies are cooling, prepare the icing by mixing 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Drizzle the prepared icing over the cooled cookies.
Step 6: Harden the Icing and Store the Cookies
Allow the icing to harden completely on the cookies.
To speed up the hardening process, you can place the cookies in the freezer for a short period.
Once the icing is set, store the cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
It’s great to get all the information on the calories, cooking time, prep time, etc, but why leave off how many cookies each batch will yield??
It depends on the size of your cookies. But normally the recipe will yield around 12 to 16 Cookies 🙂
My friend brought these to a party this week and I immediately asked for the recipe, they are SO GOOD. Texture is lovely and the flavor is just lovely, will be making every Christmas season!
Thank you so much!!
Hi Molly –
In the third paragraph of your narrative, you state that “they’re rolled in a light coating of sugar before baking…”, but I don’t see that in the preparation Step sequence. Am I missing something?
These are absolutely delicious! The blog states they’re rolled in sugar, but this step isn’t in the directions. Don’t skip rolling in sugar! I used a #30 (black handle) scooper which is approximately 1.5 Tbsp and yielded 36 cookies, baked them for 10 minutes. Will definitely make these again! And again!
**Edit** I actually used a #40 scooper (purple coded handle), sorry!
Wish there was an easy way to print this out
I didn’t roll mine in sugar as it was mentioned, but not in the directions-these did make the house smell great and they are delicious!
Is there a reason to not use fresh cranberries?