Cranberry Christmas Cookies
A delightful blend of tart cranberries and sweet sugar cookie, with a hint of orange. Perfect for sharing with friends, family, or leaving out for Santa.
Equipment
- oven
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Mixer
- Whisk
- Cookie scoop or tablespoon
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Cookie Sheets
- Wire cooling racks
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups fresh cranberries (roughly chopped)
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts (finely chopped but optional)
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons cream or milk
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C), placing an oven rack in the middle position. Then, line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Beat the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined for a tender dough.
- Add the goodies. Gently fold in the chopped cranberries, orange zest, and nuts (if using) until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Portion the dough. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded portions of dough onto your prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake. Place the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 12–15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden at the edges.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with 1–2 teaspoons of cream or milk, stirring until smooth. Adjust the consistency with more cream or milk until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over cooled cookies and let the glaze set for a few minutes before stacking or serving.
Notes
Fresh cranberries can be tricky to chop because they’re slippery. Cut them in half with a sharp knife before chopping them further. If you chop them too finely, the cookies might be soggy, so aim for small, chunky pieces.
Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. Soft butter mixes better with sugar, leading to a fluffier dough, while a cold egg can make the dough stiff and hard to work with.
Fresh cranberries can be pretty tart, so if yours are on the sharper side, you might want to add a teaspoon or two of extra sugar to balance it out without making the cookies too sweet.
To test the glaze’s thickness, start with a small amount of milk or cream, adding a little more until it’s runny enough to drizzle but thick enough to set nicely on the cookies.
Use fresh orange zest by zesting before mixing it into the dough for the best flavor. Avoid the white part (pith) since it can be bitter and change the taste of your cookies. For an extra fresh touch, sprinkle some orange zest over the cookies before serving to enhance the citrus scent and make them look festive.
If you add pecans or walnuts, toast them briefly in the oven or stovetop before chopping. This brings out their natural flavor and adds richness to your cookies.
For an extra treat, consider tossing in some white chocolate chips. Their creamy sweetness complements the tart cranberries and bright orange zest perfectly.
Nutrition
Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 30 cookis
Calories: 161kcal