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White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cookies

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Soft and Chewy Cranberry Orange Cookie with a white chocolate glaze. They are crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. These make a great Christmas cookie!

Cranberry Orange Cookies- An Easy Christmas Cookie

When I was younger, my mom started a cookie exchange amongst the mothers in my group of friends. Over the years it grew to be bigger and bigger. I was always excited to see what my mom brought home from the cookie exchange! I laid claim to the peanut butter blossom cookies and an array of mint chocolate anything.

If you’re looking for a new Christmas cookie recipe, you have to try these Cranberry Orange Cookies with white chocolate. I have to say, these are crazy addicting.

They’re buttery, perfectly chewy with crisp edges. They’re flavored with orange zest and packed full of cranberries and finished off with a drizzle of white chocolate. These are adapted from my easy no-roll sugar cookies recipe, and I have to say, they might even be better than the original.

This is a relatively easy recipe to make and they’re perfect for freezing either the dough or the baked cookies to share for later. Whether you are heading to a cookie exchange or sending cookies to your loved ones, this is a great, pretty easy cookie to add to your recipe box!

a stack of 6 halves of cookies, showing the inside stuffed with cranberries

Ingredients List:

  • Unsalted butter– best if it’s at room temperature
  • Granulated sugar
  • Large eggs
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Cream of tartar– these help to make the cookies especially soft and chewy. If you don’t have it, you can skip it, but the cookie will just be a little less chewy and soft
  • Salt
  • Dried sweetened cranberries- If you prefer unsweetened cranberries, that works too
  • 1 medium Orange– zested
  • White chocolate candy melts or almond bark- Ghirardelli melting wafers (affiliate) are my favorite, but Almond Bark will also work. 

Let’s Make Cranberry Orange Cookies

This recipe comes together in a snap.

  • Cream butter with the sugar, then add the eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest
  • Combine and add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until the dough starts to form then add the cranberries and continue beating until it’s well combined.
  • Scoop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour.
  • Bake & Cool
  • Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over cookies- I recommend melting the chocolate at 50% power and in 30-second increments, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
a white piece of parchment paper with a cookie and white chocolate drizzle

Why Do You Refrigerate the Cookie Dough?

Refrigerating the dough prevents the cookies from spreading flat and also develops the flavor. You need at least 60 minutes of chill time.  If your dough has been in the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours, allow them to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking.

My Tips for Perfect Cookies

  • Use a cookie scoop so they’re all the same size. I like big fat cookies, so I use a large cookie scoop, which is about 3 tablespoons.
  • If the cookies spread: Right when you take the cookies out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter, or two spoons and push the edges of the cookie back towards the center. This only works before the edges have set, so do it right when you take them out of the oven. It also make the cookies thicker!
  • Bake one cookie sheet at a time: Most oven have hot spots which can cause issues during baking, or the lower shelf cooks faster than the top. I recommend baking just one tray of cookies at a time on the middle rack of the oven.

Freezing Cookie Dough and Baked Cookies

This is a great recipe for you to prepare in advance. 

Cookie dough: Prepare the dough and pre-scoop it onto a baking sheet. Cover tightly and leave it in the refrigerator for 48 hours. If you like to freeze the cookie dough, just let the dough harden first in the refrigerator then transfer to an airtight container. Place in the freezer and use a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

Finished cookies can be frozen and stored in an airtight container. If possible, it’s best to add the white chocolate drizzle once they’re thawed, however, this can be frozen after the chocolate is added. Use a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

top down view of stacked cranberry orange cookies

HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

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A close up of cranberry orange cookies drizzled with chocolate on a white plate

Cranberry Orange Cookies

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 75 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
  • Yield: 20 cookies

Description

These White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cookies are perfect for a holiday cookie exchange. They are crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (285g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 medium orange
  • 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
  • 1 heaping cup (170g/6oz bag) dried sweetened cranberries
  • 23 ounces White chocolate melts or almond bark

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter with the sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Mix into the butter and sugar until the eggs are well beaten.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly add into the batter and beat on medium-low speed until well combined and dough forms, then add the cranberries.
  3. Use a large cookie scoop and scoop cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Place the dough about 2 inches apart, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes prior to baking.
  5. Bake at 350° F 10-12 minutes. Allow cookie to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
  6. Once cooled, melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power for 30-90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds until chocolate is smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow white chocolate to harden before storing.

Notes

Freezing cookie dough: Prepare the dough and pre-scoop it onto a baking sheet. Cover tightly and leave it in the refrigerator for 48 hours. If you like to freeze the cookie dough, just let the dough harden first in the refrigerator then transfer to an airtight container. Place in the freezer and use a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

Freezing finished cookies can be frozen and stored in an airtight container. If possible, it’s best to add the white chocolate drizzle once they’re thawed, however, this can be frozen after the chocolate is added. Use a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

Nutrition Information:
1 cookie
229
23g
60mg
9g
36g
0g
2.4g
36mg
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Leave a Comment

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13 Responses
  1. Stephanie Fiorentino

    These cookies were a hit with the family! Soft and chewy with tons of flavor, I will be adding it to my holiday cookie list






  2. Mary Fincik

    Of all the cookies that I made for my daughter’s wedding 2 weeks ago this cookie was the one everybody wanted the recipe for! Instead of using the white chocolate I drizzled and orange infused glaze on the cookie. They were the absolute favorite of the variety of 12. You will not be disappointed if you make this cookie!






  3. Jessica @ Sweetest Menu

    These cookies look heavenly! I love white chocolate and cranberries and any cookies with a crust outer and soft inner has my name ALL over it!

  4. Lauren Kelly Nutrition

    I love these cookies and those tags are adorable! I love a snicker doodle so I am sure I’d love these too!

  5. Jocelyn @Inside BruCrew Life

    What a delicious cookie for the holidays! I love baking and gifting treats like these. And yes, the Target $1 is the best for cute tags!!! I’m so glad I got to see you briefly this past weekend. Maybe next time I won’t have so much going on so I can stay longer!!!

  6. Danae @ Recipe Runner

    These cookies look so soft and tender! I love the white chocolate, cranberry and orange for the holidays!

  7. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    What a fun cookie swap! I love this time of the year because I have so many excuses to eat delicious cookies. I love the fun tags you used too.

  8. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Julianne, it was so great to see you this past weekend. . love these cookies and I’m thinking of you. . you got this and you will get everything done by January!!!! It’s going to be great!!!!!!

  9. Mir

    I was so sad to miss the conference. I had to do a training for my day job and couldn’t go. It looked like so much fun! Next year, maybe.
    And I want to get in on this cookie stuff. Nothing sounds more fun than getting cookies in the mail! These look amazing!

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