Cranberry Orange Meltaway Cookies are soft, tart and sweet! The texture is fantastic and the fresh orange zest and glaze makes these cookies irresistible!
So let me tell you. I am OBSESSED with these cookies. I don’t even know. I mean, I can’t explain. They look pretty innocent…and might I even say a little boring? BUT THEY AREN’T. They are so freaking good!
The soft meltaway cookie texture, with the brightness of the orange zest and combination with the cranberries makes these cookies perfect for the holidays!
But today we have buttery, soft, CRAZY yummy Cranberry Orange Meltaways. They might be my favorite cookie of all 12. I mean, I’ll probably change my mind tomorrow…but TODAY they’re my favorite.
These cookies come together in a just a few quick steps.
First, for these cookies, because I wanted an ultra soft texture, I soaked the dried cranberries in water for just a few minutes before baking. I wanted to plump them up just a bit, so they would be soft, like the cookie!
The cookie dough itself is just a few ingredients…
- dried cranberries, like Craisins
- room temperature butter
- granulated sugar
- orange zest
- large egg
- vanilla extract
- baking soda
- flour
- powdered sugar
- orange juice
I used a medium cookie scoop, so they would all be the same shape and size…
When they’re baked, they will look pretty perfect…
But I’ve never been one to say no to a little sweet glaze. And this one is made with powdered sugar and fresh orange juice to add a little tartness!
Trust me on these…you will LOVE them! They are the perfect winter cookie!
Orange Cranberry Meltaway Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Cranberry Orange Meltaway Cookies are soft, tart and sweet! The texture is fantastic and the fresh orange zest and glaze makes these cookies irresistible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups flour
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow them to soak for 5-10 minutes.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the zest, egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix for 1 minutes until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and mix in the flour until just combined.
- Drain the cranberries and pat dry. Add the into the dough and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Using a medium (2- tablespoon) cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden, being careful not to over bake.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a medium bowl. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the glaze onto each cookie and allow the glaze to set.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days for best freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 23.7 g
- Sodium: 44.1 mg
- Fat: 8.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.4 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 28.1 mg
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Missed any of the first days of the 12 days of Christmas Cookies? heck them all out below!
Day 1: 3 Ingredient Shortbread
Day 2: Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies
Day 3: Salted Caramel Pinwheel Cookies
Day 4: Perfect Spritz Cookies
Day 5: Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Day 6: Milk Chocolate Lace Sandwich Cookies
Day 7: Coconut Snowman Cookies
Day 8: Red Velvet Snowball Cookies
Day 9: Soft Molasses Cookies
Have yet to find someone that stops at three cookies…….
I added some lime (didn’t have lemon on hand) juice to my icing and it was great! Gave it a little zing on top of the sweetness.
Mine turned out delicious but tall and puffy. Didn’t change shape much from the original dough ball. Any ideas where I went wrong?
I made these today, they are delicious. However mine turned out flat.
What did I do wrong?
I made these cookies for neighbor treats. I substituted Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour , they turned out beautiful, and light and fluffy , I used apple juice sweetened cranberries from Natural Grocers… they are simply divine.. I’ll be making these again! Thank you!
Do you glaze the cookies while they are still warm?
You can do it either way. I wait until they are mostly cooled!
Hi! Can I make the dough in advance and refrigerate for a few days before baking?
Yes you can! You can even freeze the dough!
Could I use almond flour
you can sub in almond flour for all purpose, but you will need a little more moisture. You can add an additional egg white to help bind the dough.
I purchased the ingredients for this recipe in December but I didn’t get to make them for Christmas. Today I finally made them and they are sooooooo good! I did cut the glaze recipe in half to cut down on the sugar. Also I soaked my dried cranberries in hot water till they were soft.
Next time I may add some chopped pecans.
Can these be made with fresh cranberries?
I don’t think that would work, sorry!