Name: Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups (315g) All-Purpose Flour: The structural base of our cookies. Spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup for accuracy; scooping directly can pack too much flour, resulting in dense cookies.; ½ teaspoon Baking Soda: Our primary leavening agent, reacting with acidic components (like brown sugar and cranberries) to help the cookies rise and spread appropriately, contributing to a tender texture.; ¼ teaspoon Salt: Crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall flavour profile. Don’t skip it! Fine sea salt or regular table salt works well.; 1 cup (226g) Unsalted Butter, Softened: Provides richness, flavour, and tenderness. “Softened” means it should yield slightly to gentle pressure but not be melted or oily. Take it out of the refrigerator about 30-60 minutes before you start baking. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content precisely.; ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar: Contributes to sweetness, browning, and crisp edges.; ½ cup (110g) Packed Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture (leading to chewiness), a deeper caramel flavour, and contributes to the cookies’ soft texture. Ensure it’s packed firmly into the measuring cup.; 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature: Acts as a binder, adds richness, and contributes to the structure. Having it at room temperature helps it incorporate more smoothly into the butter-sugar mixture, creating a better emulsion.; 1 Large Egg Yolk, Room Temperature: Adding an extra yolk increases richness and chewiness without adding too much extra liquid, resulting in a more tender cookie.; 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest: This is where the magic happens! Use the zest of approximately one large orange. Zest only the bright orange outer layer, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. This provides the intense, bright citrus flavour. Freshly grated zest is far superior to dried.; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the other flavours in the cookie, adding warmth and depth. Use pure vanilla extract for the best taste.; 1 ½ cups (170g) Dried Cranberries: Provide bursts of tartness and chewy texture that contrast beautifully with the sweet dough and orange flavour. You can use regular sweetened dried cranberries (like Craisins). Briefly chopping them can ensure better distribution, especially if they are very large.

Ingredients

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Here’s what you’ll need to create these delightful Cranberry Orange Cookies. Using fresh, quality ingredients will yield the best results:

2 ½ cups (315g) All-Purpose Flour: The structural base of our cookies. Spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup for accuracy; scooping directly can pack too much flour, resulting in dense cookies.
½ teaspoon Baking Soda: Our primary leavening agent, reacting with acidic components (like brown sugar and cranberries) to help the cookies rise and spread appropriately, contributing to a tender texture.
¼ teaspoon Salt: Crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing the overall flavour profile. Don’t skip it! Fine sea salt or regular table salt works well.
1 cup (226g) Unsalted Butter, Softened: Provides richness, flavour, and tenderness. “Softened” means it should yield slightly to gentle pressure but not be melted or oily. Take it out of the refrigerator about 30–60 minutes before you start baking. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content precisely.
½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar: Contributes to sweetness, browning, and crisp edges.
½ cup (110g) Packed Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture (leading to chewiness), a deeper caramel flavour, and contributes to the cookies’ soft texture. Ensure it’s packed firmly into the measuring cup.
1 Large Egg, Room Temperature: Acts as a binder, adds richness, and contributes to the structure. Having it at room temperature helps it incorporate more smoothly into the butter-sugar mixture, creating a better emulsion.
1 Large Egg Yolk, Room Temperature: Adding an extra yolk increases richness and chewiness without adding too much extra liquid, resulting in a more tender cookie.
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest: This is where the magic happens! Use the zest of approximately one large orange. Zest only the bright orange outer layer, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. This provides the intense, bright citrus flavour. Freshly grated zest is far superior to dried.
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the other flavours in the cookie, adding warmth and depth. Use pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
1 ½ cups (170g) Dried Cranberries: Provide bursts of tartness and chewy texture that contrast beautifully with the sweet dough and orange flavour. You can use regular sweetened dried cranberries (like Craisins). Briefly chopping them can ensure better distribution, especially if they are very large.

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Instructions

Follow these steps carefully for perfectly baked Cranberry Orange Cookies every time:

Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisking helps distribute the leavening agent and salt evenly throughout the flour, ensuring consistent cookies. Set this bowl aside.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar. Continue beating on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. The mixture should become light in colour and fluffy in texture. This process, called creaming, incorporates air into the dough, which is essential for the cookies’ final texture and lift.
Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the room temperature large egg, the room temperature egg yolk, the fresh orange zest, and the pure vanilla extract. Beat on low speed just until these ingredients are combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; mix just enough to incorporate the eggs and flavourings smoothly. Overmixing can develop the gluten too much, leading to tougher cookies.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: With the mixer still on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture (from step 1) to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl. Mix only until the flour streaks just disappear. Again, avoid overmixing. A few remaining streaks of flour are better than mixing too much. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make the cookies tough instead of tender and chewy.
Fold in Cranberries: Remove the bowl from the mixer (or turn off the handheld mixer). Add the dried cranberries to the dough. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the cranberries into the dough until they are evenly distributed. This gentle folding ensures the cranberries don’t get crushed and prevents further gluten development.
Chill the Dough (Highly Recommended): Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. For best results (better flavour development and less spreading), chill for 1-2 hours, or even overnight (up to 72 hours). Chilling solidifies the fat (butter) in the dough. Cold fat melts more slowly in the oven, preventing the cookies from spreading too much and becoming flat. It also allows the flavours to meld and deepen.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This prevents the cookies from sticking and promotes even browning on the bottoms. It also makes cleanup much easier.
Portion the Dough: Scoop mounds of chilled cookie dough, each about 1.5 tablespoons in size (a medium cookie scoop works perfectly for uniform cookies). Roll the mounds briefly between your palms to create smooth balls. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading during baking.
Bake the Cookies: Place one baking sheet at a time in the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 10-13 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown, and the centers still look slightly soft and puffy. They will continue to cook slightly from residual heat after being removed from the oven. Baking times can vary slightly depending on your oven and the exact size of your cookies, so keep an eye on them during the last few minutes. For chewier cookies, err on the side of slightly underbaking; for crispier cookies, bake a minute or two longer.
Cool the Cookies: Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. This allows them to set up properly so they don’t fall apart when moved. After this initial cooling period, carefully transfer the cookies using a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling on a wire rack allows air to circulate around the entire cookie, preventing the bottoms from becoming soggy.
Repeat (If Necessary): If baking in batches, allow the baking sheet to cool slightly before placing the next batch of dough balls on it. Baking on a hot sheet can cause the cookies to spread too much. Repeat steps 8-10 until all the dough is baked.
Store: Once completely cooled, store the Cranberry Orange Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving Size: one normal portion
Calories: 180
Sugar: 13g
Sodium: 80mg
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 2g