12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Orange Cranberry Cookies

This is a cookie I’ve been meaning to make for years.  Orange and cranberry is such a good combination and when put in cookie form…yum yum yum.  These cookies are also stuffed with walnuts and have a nice vanilla flavor.  If you’re cookie platter is need of something fruity, but still full of traditional flavor, make these cookies.

These orange cranberry cookies are very soft thanks to their short baking time.  The original recipe suggests that you line the baking sheet with parchment to prevent the bottoms from getting too brown.  I followed this piece of advice, as well as sticking to the recommended baking time and found that my cookies came out to be like pillows – soft and fluffy.  My own suggestion is to make sure that each cookie has an equal amount of cranberries and nuts.  The orange flavor can be a little overpowering if it’s not balanced by the chewy fruit and crunch nuts.

I’m so glad I finally made these cookies.  Everyone has praised them and I think they’re a recipe I’m going to keep around for a long time.

Orange Cranberry Cookies
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1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
Grated peel of 1 medium orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 425°.  Line baking sheets with parchment.

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add in orange peel, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  Beat to combine.  Stir in egg.  The batter may look curdled but that’s okay.  Gradually stir in flour, mixing until just combined.  Fold in cranberries and walnuts by hand.

Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball.  Place on the cookie sheet, about 1-2 inches apart.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Dip the bottom of a small glass in sugar and use it to press the cookies down.  They should be about an 1/2 inch thick.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges look set.  The centers may look underdone, but don’t over bake them!  Cool the cookies about 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

-Adapted from King Arthur Flour