EASY ORANGE CRANBERRY COOKIES
WOW! What a wonderful cookie. I just made these last night for a cookie tray and they were the best of all five varities I tried. I did make a few changes to the recipe: *I added 1 1/2 tsp of zest like some of the other reviews suggested. *I used fresh cranberries and sliced them in half (not chopped). I thought they were the perfect size when the cookies baked. *Some of the other reviews suggested adding vanilla extract, but I think that almond extract and cranberries are made for eachother, so… I added about 1/4-1/2 tsp. almond extract. *Instead of walnuts, I added almond gems to accompany the extract. The gems are small enough so they don’t stand out too much — perfect for nut lovers and perfect for the rest of us! *I decided to try the cookies w/o the frosting first because of some reviews stating that the cookies were too sweet. I thought the cookies were perfect w/o the frosting, so why hassel?!! *Also, if I left them in the oven one second longer than 12 minutes, they were overcooked.
These cookies are a huge favorite of ours! I’ve made them a few times and always have to make two changes – add 1/2 to 1 cup extra flour and chill the dough a little, and bake them at 350 instead of 375. As no one else has mentioned doing that, I blame it on high altitude; however, the flour thing is a little strange to me – I’ve never seen a cookie recipe with a cup of butter need less than 3 or 4 cups of flour. The first batch of these cookies I made (with the stated amount of flour) spread all over the pan in one big flat gooey cookie, so I made the above changes and have absolutely loved every batch since.
Oh my goodness these are THE BEST! I usually make cranberry orange bread during the holidays, but from now on I’m making these cookies instead. I added a splash of vanilla extract, pulsed the fresh cranberries in my food processor and used 2 T. orange juice concentrate instead of orange juice and they spread out beautifully and have the perfect texture and balance of sweet and tart. I didn’t even make the icing and my 3 year old loves them! Thank you Meg!
VERY good! Chewy. a bit on the sweet side with the glaze, I preferred it without it, and I REALLY like my sweets! I’d also suggest adding 1/2 cup of flour, which would produce a slightly softer, less sweet cookie. But, over all, the taste is great! Definitely made it into the family favorites!
INGREDIENTS:
For the cookies:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For the rolling sugar:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350.
Using an electric mixer, mix butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Chill dough while you make orange sugar …