Cranberry Orange Cookies - a tender, buttery shortbread slice and bake cookie loaded with tangy cranberries and zingy orange. These easy-to-make cookies melt in your mouth!
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Cranberry Orange Slice and Bake Cookies
Cranberry Orange Slice and Bake cookies are easy to make shortbread cookies filled with the festive flavors of cranberry and orange. Sprinkled with sugar before and after baking for an irresistibly, sparkly cookie.
So easy to make!
Simply mix up the dough and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Then slice and bake whenever you want a batch of fresh cookies. Perfect for guests during the busy holiday season or for wrapping up and giving as hostess gifts.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
These Cranberry Orange Cookies are a shortbread cookie, with the addition of egg yolks. Traditionally, shortbread cookies do not contain eggs and that gives them their crisp, crumbly texture.
Adding egg yolks makes the shortbread dough sturdier and tender, with a finer texture and more defined edges. Yolks also add structure and subtle flavor.
The base of this cookie dough was adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Vanilla Ice Box Cookies which is nearly identical to Dorie Greenspan’s French Vanilla Sablés – French shortbread cookies – which she considers “the perfect butter cookie, the one all shortbread strives to equal.”
The Cook’s Illustrated recipe has ¼ cup more each of flour, sugar, and confectioner’s sugar. I used these increased amounts to make the dough sturdier for a slice and bake cookie. Dorie Greenspan calls her dough too higgledy-piggledy to turn into… anything…that’s structured. (She bakes her Sablés in muffin tins to get a perfectly round shape.)
Ingredients
- Flour – all purpose
- Butter – for tenderness and buttery flavor.
- Sugar – granulated white sugar gives the cookies structure and a good snap
- Confectioners' sugar – gives the cookies that extra tender melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Egg yolks – for a richer, tender, more attractive cookie and a less sticky cookie dough.
- Dried cranberries – for their tangy, festive flavor. Fresh cranberries would release too much moisture into the dough.
- Orange zest – because cranberries and orange are a match made in heaven. Zest instead of juice because that’s where all the flavor is and added liquid would have a negative effect on the texture of the cookie.
- Vanilla – adds to the rich buttery flavor.
- Salt – salt brings out the sweetness and enhances the flavor. Without salt, sweets taste flat.
How to make
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies are so easy to make.
- Cream the butter, sugars, and zest together in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) for 1 ½ minutes. Over beating can put too much air in the dough, causing the cookies to rise or bubble.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla.
- Mix in the flour and salt just until combined.
- Mix in the dried cranberries.
Now we’re going to roll the dough into 2 equally sized logs, about 8 inches long and 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Wrap it up tight in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325° F. When the oven is ready, slice the cookie dough into about ⅓ inch circles. If you want a thinner cookie, slice them into ¼ inch rounds.
Use a sharp knife (serrated is helpful) and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.
Put the cookies about 1 inch apart (they won’t really spread) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with a little sugar. I use a coarse granulated sugar. Bake until the bottom edges are just turning golden for a crisper cookie.
For a softer cookie, pull them out when the cookies are set but not yet turning golden on the bottom edges.
I sprinkle the cookies with a little sugar again as soon as they come from the oven for extra sparkle.
Keeping Slice and Bake cookies round
Slice and bake cookies don’t get as perfectly round as cut out cookies, but that’s part of their charm. They have a more tender texture due to not being rolled, floured, and handled as much as cut out cookies.
When you put the log of cookie dough into the refrigerator to chill, it will become flat on the bottom, making a round cookie with one flat edge.
To keep Slice and Bake Cookies Round:
- Cut the cardboard inner tube from a roll of paper towels lengthwise down the center. Put the dough log inside the tube and chill.
- Set the dough log on a bed of rice during chilling.
- If all else fails, I try to adjust the shape with my fingers or a spoon when putting them on the baking sheet.
- Half way through baking, remove them from the oven and using a spoon, quickly nudge them into a little more perfect circle shapes, then finish baking.
Make in advance
Slice and bake cookies are perfect for making in advance, which is perfect during the busy holiday season. Once the dough is mixed and rolled into a log, it can chill in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you’re ready for cookies, simply slice and bake.
You can also freeze the log of dough for 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.
The cookies will also stay fresh at room temperature, after being baked, for 3-4 days.
How to freeze
Cranberry Orange Cookies can be frozen before or after baking.
Freezing before baking:
Wrap the cookie dough logs tightly in plastic wrap. Place them in plastic freezer bags. Then place in freezer. The log of dough can be frozen, well wrapped, for 4-5 months.
Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or sit on the counter for a few minutes before slicing and baking. The dough (especially the outside) needs to be firm before slicing. If it gets soft, put it back in the refrigerator to chill.
Freezing after baking:
Baked slice and bake cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
MORE FAVORITE COOKIES TO LOVE:
- Italian Pignoli Cookies
- Italian Almond Paste Cookies (Almond Macaroons)
- Browned Butter Pecan Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
- Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Funfetti Cookies
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ((scoop and level method)) 319g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 227g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 149g
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar 57g
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped dried cranberries packed
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest from 2 - 3 oranges
- ½ cup sugar for sprinkling on cookies optional
- Extra orange zest for sprinkling on cookies optional
Instructions
- Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Cream the butter, sugars, and zest together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer) for 1 ½ minutes.
- Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla until combined.
- Mix in the flour and salt just until combined.
- Mix in the dried cranberries.
- Roll the dough into 2 equally sized logs, about 8 inches long and 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3-4 days.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325° F and put the rack in the middle.
- When the oven is ready, slice the cookie dough into about ⅓ inch circles. Use a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.
- Put the cookies about 1 inch apart (they won’t really spread) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with a little sugar.
- For best results, bake one sheet at a time until the bottom edges are just turning golden for a crisper cookie, about 13 minutes.
- For a softer cookie, pull them out when the cookies are set but not yet turning golden on the bottom edges, about 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cookies with a little sugar again as soon as they come from the oven for extra sparkle.
- Let the cookies cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully move to a cooling rack.
- I like to sprinkle them with freshly grated orange zest before serving.
Notes
- If you want a thinner cookie, slice them into ¼ inch rounds. They will need less baking time.
- Cut into ⅓ inch rounds, this recipe will yield about 48 cookies.
Nutrition
Enjoy, friends!
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Renee Hoffmann
These were fabulous! Followed the recipe exactly (minus the sprinkling of sugar at the end) and my family loved them. I ended up making the dough a couple days in advance so I froze it and let it warm up at room temp for like 20 mins so it was easier to cut. Definitely a new holiday fav!
Kelly
So happy you liked them, Renee! Thanks so much!
Brenda
These cookies are fantastic! I under baked mine a bit and they are so soft and chewy!
They didn't last long!!!!
Kelly
So happy you liked them, Brenda! Thanks so much!
Nell
I’m a broke college student without a lot of cooking equipment, but I made these for friends and family and they were PERFECT! No problems with dough texture or overbaking! Thanks for making me feel like I can bake! Really helped my kitchen confidence:))
Kelly
I'm so happy to hear that, Nell! You made my day!
Cassandra
Just a heads up, when you use the ingredients multiplier feature it multiplies the cup amounts, but the weight amounts do not change. I measured the butter by tablespoons and the flour by weight. I didn't notice that the weight hadn't changed and ended up doubling the butter but not the flour. It seemed to me to be too much butter as I rolled them into logs, but I'm a novice baker and so I ignored my instincts. My cookies ended up a melted mess in the oven. I'm sure the recipe is amazing, just wanted to hopefully help keep someone else from making the same mistake. Merry Christmas!
Kelly
Sorry to hear that, Cassandra. It's so frustrating. Thank you for pointing that out as I didn't realize that would happen. I will try to disable the multiplier function so it doesn't happen again. I truly apologize. Warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season! oxox
Rachel
These turned out so well! The orange zest combined with the cranberries makes these cookies divine! This is definitely going on my Christmas cookie list for years to come. Thank you for sharing!
Kelly
So happy you liked them, Rachel! Thanks so much!
Kim
Just made these tonight for my Christmas cookie platters that I'm dropping off to my family since we can't be together this year. They were so easy to make. They turned out beautifully and have such a bright happy taste to them!! I'll be making these every year! Thank you for sharing.
Kelly
Thanks so much, Kim! So happy you liked them!
Margaret Johnson
Used 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract in batter. Yum!!
Kelly
Sounds great, Margaret! Thanks so much!
Lisa Hankins
Can this dough be rolled and used for cutout cookies, like for Christmas cookies?
Kelly
I haven't tried rolling it out. If you do try, use plenty of powdered sugar or flour so that it doesn't stick to the counter or cutters.
Lori
These were truly amazing..as they baked the fragrance of cranberry and orange and sugar filled the kitchen..so warm and Christmasy..I sliced mine thicker and increased the baking time..they were a true shortbread cookie loaded with flavor.Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Kelly
So happy you liked them, Lori! Thanks so much!
Andrea
Dear Kelly, these are by far the prettiest shortbread cookies I have ever seen! I love the wonderful ingredients that you added to the cookie dough in your recipe - the fresh orange zest and the cranberries must add such a pleasing tang to this cookie, I can almost taste them 😉
I certainly hope that you and your family spent a wonderful Christmas - very belated 'Christmas wishes' from me,
Andrea
Kelly
Dear Andrea, I love the bright and refreshing flavor the orange zest and cranberries give to the shortbread. It's very festive! Thank you so much, and I hope your holidays were wonderful!
Easyfoodsmith
The citrus love in me is craving for these cookies. I need to make a batch soon
Kelly
I love citrus flavored desserts! Thanks so much, Taruna!
Susan
They are so pretty! And, I know delicious and some of my favorite holiday flavors 🙂
Kelly
Cranberry and orange are so vibrant and festive! Thanks so much, Susan!
Haylie / Our Balanced Bowl
Slice and bake cookies are my favorite...especially these!! I love the cranberry and orange combo...the absolute perfect cookie to bake this Christmas season!! YUM!
Kelly
They're so easy and I love having them on hand for visitors. Thanks so much, Haylie!
Neil
Love how you can make up the dough for these then just keep it in the fridge and slice and bake when needed Kelly! And you can't beat the festive flavours of cranberry and orange at this time of year. Yum!
Kelly
They're a win-win! So convenient and so good! Thanks so much, Neil!
Valentina
I was so happy to see these, as I'm on a major cranberry-orange kick right now. These are so beautiful -- they almost look like they're decorated with bits of flower petals. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kelly
Give me allll the cranberry orange sweets! They're so refreshing and festive! Thanks so much, Valentina!