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Home » Recipes » Christmas Cookies Recipes

Pecan Cranberry Cookies

Published: Oct 5, 2022 Last Updated: Oct 5, 2022 by Marye 1006 words. | About 6 minutes to read this article.

Tangy, sweet cranberry cookies are packed with holiday flavors. Full of fresh berries, orange zest and pecans! They freeze well and travel like the champs they are - which makes them perfect for cookie trays and holiday boxes.
Total time 20 minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Overhead view of finished cranberry cookies

These old fashioned drop cookies are soft and full of tangy cranberry flavor!

Plate of finished cookies with title text overlay.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 📞 The last word
  • Cranberry Nut Cookies
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

These cranberry orange cookies are full of old fashioned flavor with every single bite. They're not fancy or exceptionally pretty but they bring back that feeling of a country Christmas - and they smell better than any scented candle ever made.

🧾 Ingredients

Ingredients for cranberry cookies.

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

Step by step images for making cranberry cookies.
  1. Cream the butter and sugars together.
  2. Add the egg, orange juice, and orange zest - mix well.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients and blend in.
  4. Stir in the cranberries and pecans.
  5. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake according the the recipe below.
Cookie dough on a cookie sheet.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: These orange cranberry cookies freeze beautifully! I like to drop them on the cookie sheet then put the in the freezer. When they're completely frozen drop the frozen cookie dough into a freezer container. I can have fresh cookies in minutes with no mess!

  • Walnuts are traditional in these - we just like pecans better. Macadamia nuts are also good.
  • The orange glaze is completely optional.
  • Don't chop the cranberries too finely or you'll have pink cookies with no texture.
  • The 2 ½ cups of flour works perfectly for me but if you think the dough is too soft or it runs together stir in an extra ¼ - ½ cup of flour.
  • If you will be shipping these overseas substitute dried cranberries for the fresh ones. They'll stay fresh longer.
  • Buy cranberries in season and freeze the bag for use later in the year.
  • Good, ripe cranberries will bounce so Bounceberry is an old timey name for them. This is because the berries have pockets of air inside - which also cause them to float. That's your trivia for today.
Cranberry orange cookies on parchment paper.

👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

What makes cookies soft and chewy?

Brown sugar, fruit, dried fruit - anything with a higher moisture content will help cookies stay soft. In this recipe the cranberries and orange zest combined with brown sugar does the trick!

How can I keep cookies from spreading too much?

Start with chilled dough, for one thing. Using a vegetable shortening like Crisco rather than butter can help, too.

🥫 Storage

Cranberry cookies store well baked or unbaked.

  • Store unbaked dough, tightly covered in the refrigerator for a day. After that the leavening will lose potency.
  • Unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature for several days. Although these ship well they are not great for overseas shipping because if the box is held up too long they could go bad because of the fresh cranberries.
  • Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Cookies on a plate with a glass of milk to the side.

📚 Related recipes

Here are plenty of Christmas cookie recipes plus lots of information on storing, shipping and more!

  • Cranberry Moscow Mule: Delicious Holiday Drink is for you if you love a festive cocktail.
  • Coconut Cranberry Blondie Bars are a vintage recipe that are soft and chewy.
  • Cranberry Daiquiri Cocktail is another perfect cocktail for holiday parties.
  • Cranberry Bliss Bar so good! I love this Starbuck's Copycat.
  • Broken cookie showing the gooey caramel insides.
    Peanut Butter Rolo Cookies
  • A collage of different Christmas cookies from this post.
    80 Best Christmas Cookies
  • Closeup of cinnamon crinkle cookies that have been decorated for the holidays.
    Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
  • A plate of cookies with coffee cups in the background.
    Condensed Milk Cookies

📞 The last word

Keep in mind that shipping times are notoriously slow during the busy holiday season. If you'll be mailing these to loved ones send them early!

Another one of our favorites for the holidays is this gingerbread snowball cookie recipe. Try it and let me know what you think!

You'll also want to make some of my favorite cranberry oatmeal cookies.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plate stacked with cranberry cookies.
4.66 from 20 votes

Cranberry Nut Cookies

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Tangy, sweet cranberry cookies are packed with holiday flavors. Full of fresh berries, orange zest and pecans! They freeze well and travel like the champs they are - which makes them perfect for cookie trays and holiday boxes.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Amercian Heritage
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings:36
Calories:153
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pecans, or walnuts - chopped
  • 2-½ cups cranberries, chopped

Glaze

  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Grease baking sheets.
  • Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
  • Stir in orange juice and egg.
  • Mix in dry ingredients.
  • Stir in nuts and cranberries.
  • Drop dough by tablespoons about 2" apart on greased baking sheet.
  • If you are making these to bake later flash freeze them by placing the unbaked cookies on the cookie sheet and putting them in the freezer. When frozen add them to freezer bags.
  • Bake 10-15 minutes.
  • Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the top when cool.

Glaze

  • Mix glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle on cookies.

Notes

Expert Tip: These freeze beautifully! I like to drop them on the cookie sheet then put the in the freezer. When they're completely frozen drop the frozen cookie dough into a freezer container. I can have fresh cookies in minutes with no mess!
  • Walnuts are traditional in these - we just like pecans better. Macadamia nuts are also good.
  • The orange glaze is completely optional.
  • Don't chop the cranberries too finely or you'll have pink cookies with no texture.
  • The 2 ½ cups of flour works perfectly for me but if you think the dough is too soft or it runs together stir in an extra ¼ - ½ cup of flour.
  • If you will be shipping these overseas substitute dried cranberries for the fresh ones. They'll stay fresh longer.
  • Buy cranberries in season and freeze the bag for use later in the year.
  • Good, ripe cranberries will bounce, so bounceberry is an old fashioned name for them. This is because the berries have pockets of air inside - which also cause them to float. That's your trivia for today.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

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    First published November 2008. Last updated November 1, 2022 to improve readability, add more tips, and better images.

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Judy

      March 19, 2023 at 10:47 pm

      Found your recipe and was glad to see that it uses whole fresh cranberries. Noticed that using freeze dried cranberries also would work. My Mom's Cranberry Orange Nut Bread is do good and I just discovered why not make cookies too. Will be giving them a try really soon. Thanks for sharing. **

      Reply
      • Marye

        March 20, 2023 at 8:39 am

        Let me know what you think! Using dried cranberries makes these cookies a little chewier and sweeter.

    2. Linda Furby

      December 12, 2022 at 11:48 am

      I just made them they are so good .

      Reply
    3. Maureen Foster

      December 08, 2022 at 9:51 am

      5 stars
      Just made these. They are great. Just the right amount of sweetness and just the right amount of tartness. I love cranberries and pecans and this definitely fits the bill. Have cranberries in the freezer so I can make these anytime.
      Thanks for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
    4. Diahn Carroll-Szafran

      November 09, 2022 at 10:25 pm

      5 stars
      I made these Amazing cookies tonight to take to take on my weekend trip to Houston Texas. I hope that my friends enjoy them!!!

      Reply
    5. Kitty

      October 07, 2022 at 12:01 pm

      Love your site! I have made a whole lot of your recipes! Can you use dried cranberries in the Cranberry Nut Cookies recipe?

      Reply
      • Marye

        October 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

        yes!

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