These cookies are buttery, chewy, and topped with a white chocolate drizzle. They’re made from scratch and flavored with fresh orange zest, orange juice, and cranberries. It’s a holiday favorite that you’re going to love.
Making cookies around the holidays has always been a tradition for us. We love trying new recipes and making up our own. This year, we decided to make these orange cranberry cookies with white chocolate drizzle and they turned out SO good. Now is the perfect time to make these cookies because oranges are in season right now. They’re fresh, juicy, and so sweet.
Fresh or dried cranberries?
I have seen many recipes use fresh cranberries in their cookie recipes. Other recipes use dried. Much like oranges, cranberries are also in season this time of year. In this recipe we will be using dried sweetened cranberries. Fresh cranberries tend to be very tart and sour while dried cranberries on the other hand are already sweetened and still taste great.
If you have some fresh cranberries laying around, you may substitute them for the dried cranberries. I would give them a good chop and then fold them in. This may cause your cookies to be a little more tart but they will still be good.
Bringing out the orange flavor
To emphasize the orange, we use fresh orange juice and orange zest. Using fresh orange makes all of the difference. The zest is my favorite part and really infuses the cookie with orange. Having a zester will help however, if you don’t have one don’t worry. I didn’t have one for many years. I used my potato peeler by peeling the most surface part of the orange skin (without the white) and chopped it into tiny pieces and that’s how I got my zest. It’s important that you don’t omit the zest because this will bring out the most orange flavor.
Making the cookies in advance
If you’re interested in prepping the dough in advance, you can! The cookie dough can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for between 3-5 days. When you’re ready to bake, scoop the dough into small balls and cook according to the instructions below.
On the other hand, if you want to make a large batch of cookie dough ahead of time and don’t plan on making it for a while you can freeze them. To do this you should form the dough into balls and place them in a sealed bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking Tip
These cookings are very gooey, soft, and chewy. You will need to cook them in multiple batches. Trying to fit the cookies all on one pan will not turn out so well because they expand so much when they bake. This also isn’t a good recipe for large cookies, you’ll want to form the dough into small/medium balls. If the cookies come out to be too big they may not stay together.
These orange cranberry cookies with a white chocolate drizzle are soft, chewy, and delicious. I am excited for you to try these.
Orange Cranberry Cookies with a White Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 egg
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 oz white chocolate bark melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In one bowl combine the first three ingredients and stir well
- In another mixing bowl combine the next five ingredients until. Stir in the dry ingredients slowly until well combined
- When done, fold in the cranberries. Then form the dough into small balls and place on a baking dish 1-2 inches away from each other to allow the dough to spread
- Bake for 8-10 minutes
- When the cookies are done let them cook completely before adding the chocolate
- To melt the chocolate, place in a small microwavable container. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each cook time until it’s fully melted. Then pour over the cookies by dipping a fork into the chocolate and swinging it over the cookies
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