These old fashioned drop cookies are soft and full of tangy cranberry flavor!
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❤️ 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
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Cream the butter and sugars together.
- Add the egg, orange juice, and orange zest - mix well.
- Mix the dry ingredients and blend in.
- Stir in the cranberries and pecans.
- Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake according the the recipe below.
💭 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.
👩🏻🍳 Frequently asked questions
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
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!
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.
📚 Related recipes
Here are plenty of Christmas cookie recipes plus lots of information on storing, shipping and more!
📞 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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cranberry Nut Cookies
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
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
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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
- 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
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published November 2008. Last updated November 1, 2022 to improve readability, add more tips, and better images.
Judy
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. **
Marye
Let me know what you think! Using dried cranberries makes these cookies a little chewier and sweeter.
Linda Furby
I just made them they are so good .
Maureen Foster
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.
Diahn Carroll-Szafran
I made these Amazing cookies tonight to take to take on my weekend trip to Houston Texas. I hope that my friends enjoy them!!!
Kitty
Love your site! I have made a whole lot of your recipes! Can you use dried cranberries in the Cranberry Nut Cookies recipe?
Marye
yes!