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 about 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.