These Orange & Cranberry Cookies bring together two classic Christmas flavours into an easy cookie recipe. Of course, you can make and eat these cookies any time of year, but they are especially good in autumn and winter. They are made with dried cranberries and orange zest, I added a little orange extract for an extra boost of citrus flavour, and I've used golden caster sugar for a hint of caramel flavour. If you like to make edible gifts, or cookies boxes, for your friends and family, then this recipe is a perfect and easy to make option!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
- If you can't get hold of golden caster sugar, it's ok to use regular caster sugar too.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Orange & Cranberry Cookies
Mix the butter and golden caster sugar together. Add the egg, orange zest and orange extract, and stir them in. Mix in the plain flour and baking powder, and stir in the dried cranberries.
Roll the mixture into balls and place them onto lined baking trays. Bake the cookies for 14 minutes until they are golden brown.
How should the cookies be stored and can they be frozen?
You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.
Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?
No, while an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this recipe be made dairy free?
For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread instead of butter for the cookies. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the Orange & Cranberry Cookies:
- I decided to keep the cookies simple and not add any decoration, but you could drizzle them with melted dark chocolate or use the juice of the orange to make an icing and drizzle that over them. Both would be very tasty, but they're also great as they are!
- Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.
- For perfectly round cookies, as soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter that is larger than the cookies and put it around each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
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More cookie recipes
Orange & Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 125 g Butter or baking spread
- 200 g Golden caster sugar
- 1 Egg large
- 1 Large orange zest only
- ½ tsp Orange extract
- 200 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 100 g Dried cranberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a few baking trays (or however many you own) with baking paper
- Cream the butter and golden caster sugar together in a large bowl using a spoon
- Add the egg, orange zest and orange extract, and mix them in
- Mix in the plain flour and baking powder
- Fold in the dried cranberries
- Roll blobs of the mixture between your hands then place them onto your lined baking trays, leave space between the cookies as they will spread
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until they are golden brown, leave them on the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing and placing on racks to cool fully
- Store in an airtight container and eat within 3 days. They can also be frozen
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
- If you can't get hold of golden caster sugar, it's ok to use regular caster sugar too.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
I love cookies and I love this flavour combination!
Alan Clark
Receipt very good, I decided to just do a tray bake and cut them up after as the mix was a little damp and I didn’t want to add more flour.
In the description on part 8 there is a word missing.
Thanks
thebakingexplorer
Hi Alan, I'm glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for pointing out the typo - I've corrected that now 🙂