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!
If you love the combination of cranberry and orange, you might like my Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies or this amazing quick bread.
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!
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- If you want to add a drizzle to these cookies, you can use Ghirardelli melting wafers (affiliate), Almond Bark, white chocolate bar such as Lindt or Ghirardelli or white baking chips.
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.
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.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Coconut Date Balls
- Snowball Cookies
- The best Snickerdoodles
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Clusters
- Soft Molasses Cookies
Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Prep Time: 75 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
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
- 2–3 ounces White chocolate bar, baking chips or almond bark
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- White Chocolate- If you want to add a drizzle to these cookies, you can use Ghirardelli melting wafers, Almond Bark, white chocolate bar such as Lindt or Ghirardelli or white baking chips.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 229
- Sugar: 23g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2.4g
- Cholesterol: 36mg
Can you use white chocolate chips melted for the glaze?
Yes most certainly!
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
I am so happy to hear that Stephanie! Thank you so much!
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!
Hi Mary- Wow, what a compliment, thank you so much!
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!
I love cranberry and orange together…and now in a cookie! Perfect!!!
I love these cookies and those tags are adorable! I love a snicker doodle so I am sure I’d love these too!
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!!!
These are absolutely wonderful!!! I need to make them asap.
These cookies look so soft and tender! I love the white chocolate, cranberry and orange for the holidays!
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.
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!!!!!!
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!