Restless Chipotle

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
×
  • Overhead view of pickles in a white bowl
    Sweet Heat Refrigerator Pickles
  • A basket full of garlic breadsticks.
    How to Make Soft Garlic Breadsticks`
  • A peaches and cream icebox pie with a serving removed to show the layers.
    Peach Icebox Pie
  • A square of strawberry shortcut cake being served from a spatula.
    Strawberry Shortcut Cake
  • A cropped view of this recipe in a glass bowl for the feature image.
    Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
  • Closeup of fried chicken on a plate.
    Why Do Southerners Put Buttermilk in Everything?
  • Overhead view of finished crockpot chicken bog in the crockpot.
    Crockpot Chicken Bog
  • Overhead view of the finished grapefruit cake on a white cake plate.
    Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Bundt Cake
  • Overhead view of skillet with finished cabbage in it. Feature image.
    Creamed Cabbage
  • Bright green cocktail in a clear glass.
    Hammered Hulk Cocktail – A Bold, Green Drink for St. Patrick’s Day
  • Closeup of pimento cheese balls for feature image.
    Crispy Fried Pimento Cheese Balls
  • A crunchy topped casserole with a serving spoon in it.
    Pineapple Casserole
Home » Recipes » Cookies Recipes

Pecan Cranberry Cookies

Published: Dec 16, 2023 · Updated: Jan 28, 2025 by Marye

Tangy, sweet cranberry cookies are packed with holiday flavors. These holiday cookies are full of fresh red cranberries, orange zest and pecans. They freeze well and travel like the champs they are - which makes them the perfect cookie for sharing with friends and family.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 20 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe
Plate stacked with cranberry cookies.
Overhead view of finished cranberry cookies

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

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

A pile of cranberry cookies on a white plate.
Table of Contents
  • ...this definitely fits the bill.
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🍴 Equipment
  • 🥫 How to store cranberry cookies
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Cranberry Nut Cookies
  • 💬 Comments

...this definitely fits the bill.

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
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.
Maureen

🗝️ Key takeaways

  • Old-fashioned fresh cranberry cookies are the perfect addition to Christmas-time cookie exchanges and dessert tables.
  • This recipe is full of tangy cranberries and crunchy pecans which is the perfect snack all winter long.
  • Cranberries freeze well, and so does this cookie dough so indulge in some holiday goodness anytime you want by freezing extra bags of cranberries.

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.

📖 Variations

  • Walnuts are traditional in these - we just like pecans better.
  • Macadamia nuts are also good.
  • Add in a cup of white chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
  • Use lemon zest instead of orange or leave it out altogether.

🔪 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 prepared baking sheets and bake according the the recipe below. Cool on a wire rack.

🍴 Equipment

  • hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • mixing bowl
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • cookie scoop
Cookie dough on a cookie sheet.

🥫 How to store cranberry cookies

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 in an airtight container 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. Substitute dried cranberries for overseas shipping.
  • Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

💭 Things to know

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

  • You 'could' mix these by hand but it's really hard. I suggest an electric mixer.
  • 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.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

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

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! Make an assortment for your holiday cookie tray.

  • Cranberry Moscow Mule: Delicious Holiday Drink is for you if you love a festive cocktail.
  • Cranberry Daiquiri Cocktail is another perfect cocktail for holiday parties.
  • Cranberry Bliss Bar so good! I love this Starbuck's Copycat.
  • Close up of holiday decorated snickerdoodle cookie bars.
    Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
  • Closeup of polar bear cookies on a cookie sheet.
    Christmas Polar Bear Cookies
  • Closeup of cinnamon crinkle cookies that have been decorated for the holidays.
    Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
  • A collage of different Christmas cookies from this post.
    91 Best Christmas 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 favorite 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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Plate stacked with cranberry cookies.

Cranberry Nut Cookies

4.73 from 29 votes
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Tangy, sweet cranberry cookies are packed with holiday flavors. These holiday cookies are full of fresh red cranberries, orange zest and pecans. They freeze well and travel like the champs they are - which makes them the perfect cookie for sharing with friends and family.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Amercian Heritage
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings:36
Calories:153
Author:Marye Audet-White

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

Instructions

Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Grease baking sheets or cover with parchment paper.
  • Beat together room-temperature butter and sugars until creamy.
  • Stir in orange juice and egg. Set aside.
  • Stir together dry ingredients.
  • Mix flour mixture into the butter mixture.
  • Stir in nuts and cranberries.
  • Drop dough by tablespoons about 2" apart on prepared cookie sheets.
  • 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.
You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

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

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published November 2008. Last updated December 16, 2023 to improve readability and add more tips.

More Homemade Cookie Recipes

  • Close up of Monster Cookies for the featured image.
    Monster Cookies
  • A plate of cookies with coffee cups in the background.
    50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet (Updated for 2024)
  • Overhead view of blueberry white chocolate cookies.
    Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies
  • A stack of ranger cookies on a plate.
    Texas Ranger Cookies

Love it? Share it!

8.3K shares
  • Facebook
  • Flipboard

About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

Comments

    4.73 from 29 votes (25 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Love it? Give it 5 stars!




  1. Kat says

    November 22, 2024 at 8:48 am

    5 stars
    I made these as a gift for the staff at my doctor’s office. Everyone was asking for the recipe before I even left the office! I doubled the recipe so I could also have some for my neighborhood cookie exchange. I used macadamia nuts, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Of course I kept a bit for my family at home and they were gone by end of day

    Reply
  2. LAWESE G DILLON says

    November 21, 2024 at 1:44 pm

    Hoiw do you store the finished cookies and how long do they keep?

    Reply
    • Marye says

      November 21, 2024 at 3:05 pm

      You can freeze them for several months or keep them in a tin at room temperature for 4-5 days. They also ship well.

      Reply
  3. Teresa says

    July 08, 2024 at 7:23 pm

    5 stars
    Pecan Cranberry Cookies! Oh my! Cranberries, orange, pecans….what’s not to love?!! Those three flavors get me so excited! The drizzle of glaze really fancies them up! Can’t wait to make these……I have cranberries in the freezer, so that’s my mission tomorrow!

    Reply
  4. Judy says

    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 says

      March 20, 2023 at 8:39 am

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

      Reply
  5. Linda Furby says

    December 12, 2022 at 11:48 am

    I just made them they are so good .

    Reply
  6. Maureen Foster says

    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
  7. Diahn Carroll-Szafran says

    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
  8. Kitty says

    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 says

      October 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

      yes!

      Reply
Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

Find out more

🍉 Memorial Day

  • Overhead view of potato salad in a glass bowl
    Mom's Homemade Potato Salad

  • Overhead view of the finished watermelon basket filled with an assortment of fruit.
    How to Make a Watermelon Basket

  • Closeup of a finished hamburger in a bun.
    Retro Lipton Onion Soup Burger (Vintage Recipe)

  • Closeup of a star shaped cake covered in white chocolate with red and blue sprinkles.
    Zebra Cake Recipe: Little Debbie Copycat

🧢 Father's Day

  • Close up of chicken breast that's been grilled.
    Awesome Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast Wrapped in Bacon

  • Closeup image of sausage cheese dip.
    Rotel Sausage Dip

  • Closeup overhead view of the macaroni salad in a bowl with a spoon in it for serving.
    BBQ Macaroni Salad Texas Style

  • Close up of a piece of cake.
    Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

👑 Reader Favorites

  • Square overhead of chicken for feature image.
    Slow Cooker Angel Chicken

  • Close up of the sauce showing the creamy texture.
    Copycat Red Robin Campfire Sauce Recipe

  • Wooden spatula removing fried potatoes out of iron skillet.
    Crispy Pan Fried Potatoes

  • Blue cocktail with a red and white straw.
    Sex in the Driveway Cocktail

  • A sliced loaf of english muffin bread.
    Easy English Muffin Bread Recipe – Perfect for Toasting (No Kneading!)

  • Two finished loaves of Amish white bread cooling on a table.
    No-Fail Amish White Bread

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • About Marye Audet-White
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Contact
MaryeAudet Whiteandherchildren Dec

Featured In:

Places Restless Chipotle has been featured

We improve our products and advertising by using Microsoft Clarity to see how you use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data. Our privacy statement has more details.

Copyright ©2006 - 2025 Restless Chipotle Media, LLC

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.