by 
Cranberry Orange Cookies are tasty sugar cookies that are perfect for the holidays.
Made with fresh cranberries and orange zest in the cookie dough and in the filling, these cookies are bursting with flavor.
Fresh cranberry orange cookies
I started baking these cookies several years ago and they make it on my baking list every holiday season. There are so many things to love about these cookies!
- First, they look great and often get oohs and aahs!
- There is orange peel added to the dough and in the filling. Talk about flavor!
- You can make the dough and freeze it and then bake it when you need fresh cookies!
- Finally, these may look complicated, but they are fairly easy to make!
These cranberry orange cookies are a delicious little cookie that I make every year during the holidays!
Are you ready for holiday baking? For me, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is baking season. I love to bake and I love to bake holiday cookies!!!
Recipe Ingredients
- Cranberries - For these cookies, I use fresh cranberries. You could also use frozen cranberries.
- Orange - You'll need at least two medium-sized oranges for the zest. There is zest in the dough and in the filling
- All purpose flour - Just regular flour, nothing fancy
- Granulated sugar - Added to the dough and the cranberry filling
How to make Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Make dough by first combining butter and sugar.
- Mix in vanilla, eggs and orange peel
- Add flour, salt and baking powder and combine
- Divide dough in two and shape each half into a flat round.
- Cover each half with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour
6. Just before you are ready to roll out the cookie dough, place cranberries, sugar, and remaining orange peel in food processor. Process until finely chopped
7. Roll out one disk at a time into a rectangle
8. Spoon half the cranberry mixture on the rolled cookie dough
9. Roll dough up forming a log - roll beginning with long edge so the log is longer rather than wide
10. Wrap each log with plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet
11. Refrigerate for at least two hours
12. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees
13. Remove logs from the refrigerator and unwrap
14. Slice each log into ¼" - ½" slices
15. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes
Make ahead before baking
You can completely prepare these cookies ahead of time and bake just when you're ready for freshly baked cookies
Recipe Tips
Cookies can be frozen once baked and cooled.
Plan ahead - these cookies need to be fully chilled twice. The dough will be too sticky without proper chilling
Prepare the cranberry filling just before using. If you make too early, the cranberry mixture will become too juicy. If this happens, try to strain off the excess liquid prior to adding to dough.
No need to pinch the seam of the logs. Just roll into plastic wrap and chill. The dough will hold its shape once fully chilled.
Bake in a preheated oven.
Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to five days.
Storing Orange Cranberry Cookies
Store rolled and wrapped cookie dough logs in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking. Make sure the dough is on a flat surface while being refrigerated.
Store in freezer
Once the cookie dough is filled and rolled, it can be stored in the freezer. Double wrap logs with plastic wrap. Place on a baking sheet or a flat surface and place in freezer for up to four weeks.
To bake, pull dough from freezer 12 hours ahead of time. Place dough in refrigerator to thaw. Dough needs to thaw but still be well chilled before cutting. Slice and bake according to directions.
More delicious cookie recipes
- Bow Tie Cookies
- Shortbread Christmas Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Toffee Chip Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my holiday recipes!
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon orange peel (fresh, zested)
- 3 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Filling
- 1 cup cranberries (fresh)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon orange peel (fresh, zested)
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a mixing bowl add butter and sugar and mix until fluffy.1 cup butter, 1 ½ cup sugar
- Mix in vanilla, eggs, and orange peel.½ teaspoon vanilla, 2 whole eggs, 1 tablespoon orange peel
- Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix.3 cups flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- When dough is well mixed, remove from bowl and form into two rounds.
- Wrap each round in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
For the Filling
- In a food processor add cranberries, sugar and orange peel. Process until finely chopped.1 cup cranberries, ¼ cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon orange peel
Rolling the Dough
- Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10 x 14" rectangle.
- Add half the filling mixture on top of the dough leaving a ½" border.
- Carefully roll dough into a log.
- Place log on a piece of plastic wrap wrap tightly. Place log on a baking sheet.
- Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slicing and Baking
- Remove logs from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap.
- Slice dough into ¼ - ½ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet or on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheet and cool on a baking rack.
Notes
- This recipe yields between 40-50 cookies depending on the size of your logs.
- Plan ahead - these cookies need to be fully chilled twice. The dough will be too sticky without proper chilling.
- Be careful when measuring your flour. Use the fluff and scoop method so the flour isn't compacted, which can make your dough too dry.
- When rolling out the dough, press the edges back together if they form any small cracks.
- Prepare the cranberry filling just before using it. If you make it too early, the cranberry mixture will become too juicy. If this happens, try to strain off the excess liquid prior to adding to the dough.
- No need to pinch the seam of the logs. Just roll it into plastic wrap and chill. The dough will hold its shape once fully chilled.
- When you slice the cookies, give each cookie a slight reshaping around the edges so the cookies are round and not flat on one side.
- Bake in a fully preheated oven.
- Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Cookies can be frozen once baked and cooled, or you can freeze the unbaked cookie logs and bake later.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2016.
Mart Jane Loehrke says
I put down 2 strips of plastic wrap on my roll out sheet. After I rolled out the cookie dough and spread the cranberries, I was able to use the plastic wrap to roll them easily, then wrapped them in the wrap to refrigerate. It made the roll to form cookies pretty easy. I also put about 3/4 cup dried cranberries into the spread to give it more body. I used Karen’s idea and sprinkled sugar on while the cookies were hot. Turned out nice. Would make these again. Thank you
Kathy says
Thanks for your tips!!! 🙂
Tea says
Unfortunately the dough was really difficult to roll- super sticky and kept splitting. It took forever to roll. I like the flavour but the shape ended up being elongated pinwheels.
Kathy says
Hi,
Did you refrigerate the dough before trying to roll it out? This dough gets refrigerated twice, once before you roll it and once after it's filled and rolled into a log. Refrigerating the dough should help prevent it from being so sticky. Once the rolled logs have been fully chilled, I slice them into rounds and sometimes I have to reshape each slice slightly to keep it round.
Kathy
Karen says
These are very good. Next time I will pull back on orange zest (probably half) as I thought it overwhelmed the cranberry flavor. I added about 1/4 cup more of cranberry spread on each roll, but next time will increase amount even more. Added sprinkle sugar to tops of cookies after baking which gave them a festive touch. Although the dough torn here and there when rolling they turned out beautifully. And even tho the orange was more prominent they are very tasty!! Will definitely make again & give as gifts.
Kathy says
Thank you for your comment! 🙂
karen wilson says
Made these again for gifts. Absolutely fabulous!!! Perfect holiday cookies gifts. My experience: One roll I took out and left over night in frig to cut/cook next day. The swirls ran together a bit more. The other I pulled right from the freezer to cut and they were beautiful. Ate the first roll, gave away the beauties!
Kathy says
Hi Karen,
Thank you!!! I also appreciate your insights. 🙂
Kathy
Shelby says
Hi! I am hoping to make these for the holidays. I am a bit confused by the orange peel part? Do you slice the peel and blend it or are you referring to using a zester?
Kathy says
Hi Shelby,
The orange peel is zested.
Enjoy! 🙂
Taylor says
I also had a difficult time with the dough being sticky even after chilling for over an hour. Possibly too much zest? I ended up converting to a drop cookie with the cranberry as a topping and they were delicious! I’ll be eager to try again to see if I have different luck with the dough!
Elizabeth says
I had the worst time rolling and putting the rolled lights onto plastic wrap. I will not make these again . The worst time… rolling the dough was sticky, recipe said lightly flour- no way, after first roll I placed lots and lots of flour to roll the second disc.. still didn’t help. It split when attempting to roll into log.. YeS I placed in fridge to chill the allotted time. Worse thing I had to double the recipe because it’s for my cookie exchange this year. I literally sobbed and cursed rolling the dough out and rolling into logs. NEVER again! I just hope there is a prize for ugly.cookies, I’m sure to win.
Kathy says
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm sorry these cookies didn't work out for you. I'm not certain what happened that caused the dough to be too sticky. These cookies have been tested numerous times by me and by several others with successful results. I'm wondering if the proportions were mixed up when you doubled the recipe.
Kathy
Jolie says
These cookies are amazing and in my humble opinion so worth a second try. A trick I picked up from another recipe is to place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and then roll it out between the paper. This avoids having to use flour (throwing off the recipe) and keeps your surface and roller clean. Once rolled out to your desired size, remove the top piece of paper, add the filling and roll the log with the bottom piece of parchment paper. Good luck if you try again!
Kathy says
Thank you for your tip!
Christine Atterberry says
I enjoyed the recipe.
Kathy says
Thank you! 🙂
Dolores Ybarra says
I would like to make these cookies as they look delicious. My problem is my daughter is allergic to Oranges. Is there something else I can use in place of the orange zest?
Kathy says
Hi Dolores,
Feel free to omit the orange zest. You could try lemon zest, if that works for your daughter.
Kathy
Whitney says
These are amazing! I used Country Crock plant butter to accommodate for a dairy allergy and it worked perfectly.
Kathy says
Thanks, Whitney!!! So glad it all worked for you!
Enjoy,
Kathy 🙂
Debbie says
do you cook the cranberries or just use them fresh. Looking forward to making them.
Kathy says
Hi Debbie,
I use the cranberries fresh.
Enjoy!!!
Kathy 🙂
Lea says
Just made these and they are wonderful ! Even my picky 8year old granddaughter loves them. They are a big hit !
Kathy says
Thank you! And hooray to find something a picky eater loves 🙂
Rosemarie says
Absolutely love the ease of these cookies and the flavour - Amazing! A keeper..
Kathy says
Thanks, Rosemarie! 🙂
Katie says
I just wanted you to know how much we enjoy these cookies. I've made them twice and they turn out perfectly and have so much flavor. I gave some to my neighbor and she's raving about them too!
Kathy says
Hi Katie,
Thanks so much! I really do love everything cranberries this time of year. Lucky neighbor to receive such lovely cookies!
Kathy
Marj says
Can the dough be made ahead of time & put in the freezer? If so, for how long? TIA
Kathy says
Yes, the dough can be made ahead of time, filled and rolled up and then frozen. You can keep it in the freezer for one month (maybe longer but I've tested it with good results for up to a month!) To use just pull out and thaw and then slice and bake.
Enjoy!
Amanda says
Definitely off on timing ! 10 minutes mine were burnt 🙁 followed your measurements to a T. Would definitely check at 7 and pull at 8 minutes
Kathy says
Hi Amanda,
I'm sorry these were overcooked for you. Sometimes ovens can range in temperature. Make certain the dough is fully chilled before slicing and baking and your oven is fully preheated.
Thank you,
Kathy
Julie Parker says
Have you ever used this recipe but, rather than rolling/swirling, made them into bowtie cookies? Do you think it would work that way?
Kathy says
I have not tried making them other than written in the recipe. I do have a delicious recipe for bowtie cookies - https://www.beyondthechickencoop.com/raspberry-bow-tie-cookies/
I'm not sure how these cranberry cookies would work turning into a bowtie cookie.
Kathy 🙂
Lorraine says
I can't buy fresh cranberries where I live. Do you have a good recipe using dried cranberries? Many thanks.
Kathy says
Hi Lorraine,
I have a recipe for oatmeal cookies that uses dried cranberries. It's quite delicious! https://www.beyondthechickencoop.com/oatmeal-cranberry-cookies/
Kathy 🙂
Kristine says
Since its a very soft dough, I find freezing the dough the night before works great for neat slices. I also brushed the tube with egg white and rolled it in sugar crystals for a little crunchy edge before slicing. Lovely having this in the cookie line up for Christmas Wish I could pic - they're lovely! Merry Christmas!
Kathy says
Thank you for the tip! I love the idea of rolling in sugar for a little extra crunch! Merry Christmas!
Tracy says
These turned out awful!! Very tasteless-more like flour and incredibly cakey. The dough was way too sticky so it was impossible to roll and definitely did not turn out like picture. The cookies just melted into itself. Very flat. All I could taste was orange and cranberry. I tossed them. Sorry
Kathy says
I'm sorry these didn't turn out for you. The dough needs to be chilled twice - once when it's first made or it will be too sticky and once before they are slice and baked or they will flatten and spread.
Mira McLennan says
Love these! My family love how they look and taste too. Yum!
Kathy says
Thanks, Mira! Thanks for letting me know how much you loved them! 🙂
Mary says
Is it literally just the peel of an orange? Not candied or anything?
Kathy says
Yes, just the orange peel from a fresh orange. You want to just get the very outside of the peel and not the white pith. I use a very fine grater to zest the orange.
Danielle says
I just got them started tonight. Will it be okay to do the first chill overnight then complete them tomorrow?
Kathy says
Yes, you can chill the dough overnight and bake tomorrow. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Makenna says
I'm a 17 year old senior in highschool and with stressful distance learning in these hard times I just need a break, so I decided to try these out! I just tossed both rounds into the fridge for the first chilling and I'm so excited 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Makenna,
Baking is a great way to take a break and destress! These are hard times, but we can keep making the best of it! Enjoy the cookies 🙂
Kathy