These Cranberry Orange Cookies are crispy around the edge and soft in the center and every bite is delightfully flavored with orange zest, fresh cranberries, sweet white chocolate and crunchy almonds! Something to love in every bite!
Table of Contents
These orange cranberry cookies are really easy to make. All you have to do is add one ingredient after the other and you’ll have great tasting cookies. The key to great cookies is to allow each ingredient to be well incorporated into the dough before adding the next one.
The white chocolate dipping and crushed almonds add quite a nice festive look to these cranberry orange shortbread cookies so if you’re making them as a gift, to serve at a party, or for a cookie swap, it’s worth the extra step.
Baking With White Chocolate
White chocolate is usually made with cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids as opposed to cocoa solids which is a key component of dark, semi sweet and milk chocolate. White chocolate is just that, white or slightly off white, and has a sweet and creamy taste. You can eat white chocolate on its own or use it in your favorite cookies, cakes and other baked goodies.
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Orange Cookies Recipe
Festive: With seasonal flavors like cranberry, orange and white chocolate these cookies just scream holidays.
Easy: No complicated steps to making these cookies, just simple to follow instructions.
Modifiable: Change up the ingredients based on what you have on hand or your taste preferences.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – All purpose flour is used to make these cookies.
- Baking soda – A touch of baking soda helps them rise.
- Sea salt – Sea salt enhances the flavor.
- Decas Farms Fresh Cranberries – Chopped fresh cranberries make these cookies nice and tart.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted butter, softened.
- Sugar – Packed, light or dark brown sugar and white granulated sugar sweeten up these cookies.
- Eggs – Any type of eggs, at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Orange zest – Orange zest adds another layer of flavor.
- White chocolate – Use white chocolate chips or white baking chocolate.
- Coconut oil – A touch of coconut oil helps liquify the white chocolate.
- Almonds – Raw, peeled and chopped almonds give the cookies some crunch.
How To Make This Orange Cranberry Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Combine flour, baking soda and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Using a stand mixer, add butter and beat on medium speed until creamy then add in sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest, and beat for another minute or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the flour, and beat on low speed until well combined.
Step 3: Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the chopped cranberries. If using baking cranberries, you can run the mixer on low speed until the cranberries are evenly dispersed.
Step 4: Pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 5: Using a tablespoon measure, scoop some dough into the palm of your hand and roll into a ball. Place each ball on the baking sheet and leave 2 inches of space in between. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges start to brown.
Step 6: When done baking, place cookies on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Step 7: Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler and add in coconut oil, stir with a spatula until chocolate is melted and creamy. Transfer to a small bowl large enough to dip the cookies in.
Step 8: Dip each cookie into melted white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed almonds. Place the cookies back on baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Tips and Variations For Making Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies
Instead of cranberries. Try dried cherries or other dried berries.
Change up the nuts. Use cashews or pecans instead of almonds.
Switch up the chocolate. Substitute dark or semi-sweet chocolate instead of white chocolate.
Try a different zest. Use lemon zest instead or orange for a different flavor.
FAQs
You decide what works best for you, but both choices will work well in this recipe.
This recipe calls for fresh cranberries which will yield a brighter pop of red and tangy cranberry bite for the perfect balance to these sweet cookies. Note some baking cranberries are sweetened so if you decide to use them your cookies may be slightly sweeter.
Yes, if you are looking to make nut-free cookies you can leave out the almonds or dip the cookies in crushed pumpkin seeds instead.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: You can bake these orange cranberry white chocolate cookies and store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This is perfect during the busy holiday season as you can make a batch or a double batch of cookie dough and bake the cookies just when you need them. It’s the ideal way to serve fresh and warm cookies straight from the oven. (see notes)
Storage: These cranberry orange cookies keep well for 4-5 days in an airtight container on the kitchen counter.
Freezer: These cookies will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw, place them on the kitchen counter until they are soft enough to eat.
Looking for more cookie recipes?
- Chewy Chocolate Pecan Cookies
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Dulce De Leche Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
RECIPE TIP
Stock up on fresh cranberries while they are in season and store them in the freezer. This way you can easily make these cranberry cookies any time of the year.
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 cup Decas Farms Fresh Cranberries chopped
- 3/4 cup 1.5 sticks unsweetened butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 cup baking white chocolate chips
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oli
- 1 cup raw, peeled almonds chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and sea salt to combine and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment add in butter and beat on medium speed until creamy. Next add in sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest, and beat for another minute or so. If needed scrape down the sides of the bowl to bring the ingredients together. Slowly add in the flour and beat on low speed until well combined but don’t over work it.
- Remove bowl from mixer and add in chopped cranberries. Using a spatula fold into the dough. This is a more gentle way to incorporate the fresh cranberries into the dough but if using baking cranberries, you can run the mixer on low speed until the cranberries are evenly dispersed.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop some dough into the palm of your hand and roll into a ball. Place each ball on the baking sheet leaving about 2 inches of space in between. Place cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges start to brown. The center of the cookies will look soft and almost “uncooked” but it will harden as it cools down just enough so the cookies are crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle
- When done baking place cookies on a cooling rack and allow them to cool down completely.
- Meanwhile melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Add in coconut oil and stir with a spatula until chocolate is melted and creamy. Transfer to a small bowl with depth and wide enough to dip the cookies in.
- Dip each cookie into melted white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed almonds. Place them back on baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
