These cranberry orange icebox cookies ship large taste from surprisingly easy elements. Take pleasure in a buttery shortbread-like cookie flecked with chewy dried cranberries and aromatic orange zest. For a shiny edge and candy crunch, roll the logs of dough in coarse sugar earlier than slicing and baking. And drizzle on a simple 2-ingredient orange glaze for a flavorful of completion.
These bejeweled-looking cranberry orange cookies are surprisingly easy to make. You want very fundamental baking elements, and the dough comes collectively in simply 1 bowl. (Is that music to your ears!?)
The juice and zest of a contemporary orange offers these buttery shortbread-like cookies a vibrant and cheery taste, complemented by the sweet-tart dried cranberries. I really like this taste combo, as evidenced by recipes like cranberry orange scones and orange glazed cranberry bread.
And also you’ll love the comfort of those icebox cookies! Make the dough forward of time, pop it within the fridge, then simply slice and bake while you’re prepared. Such an incredible make-ahead recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
- Easy, fundamental elements
- Straightforward-to-follow 1-bowl recipe
- Buttery shortbread flavored with contemporary orange and studded with chewy dried cranberries
- Tender and thick within the facilities, crispy across the edges
- Cranberry + orange combo is flavorful and colourful—so festive!
- An excellent make-ahead cookie recipe
- No rolling particular person dough balls—simply slice and bake
- Straightforward 2-ingredient icing
They’re referred to as icebox cookies for a motive: chilling the cookie dough logs is crucial. Like pinwheel cookies (one other slice-and-bake model cookie), the cookie dough may be very buttery and, with out time within the fridge, will bake into greasy puddles. Let’s save the puddles for chocolate lava truffles.
It could appear to be an train in delayed gratification, however I favor to think about it as an incredible make-ahead recipe! The cookie dough logs can hand around in the fridge for as much as 5 days, or you may freeze them for even longer. Merely thaw within the fridge for an hour or two earlier than slicing and baking. Having some cookie dough within the freezer is such a time-saver through the busy vacation season!
Easy Substances
The base dough for these slice-and-bake cookies is rather like reader-favorite darkish chocolate orange slice-and-bake cookies. Which, actually, is form of like my shortbread cookie dough and basic roll-out dough for sugar cookies mixed. Butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, salt… Cookie Crew, assemble!
The one different elements you want are a navel orange (zest and juice), dried cranberries, some coarse sugar for rolling, and confectioners’ sugar for the icing.
Easy methods to Make Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
Form every portion right into a log (simply roll it), after which wrap up tightly and chill for 3 hours. After that, roll the dough logs in coarse sugar. I at all times use these glowing sugar sprinkles or one thing like Sugar within the Uncooked. It gives slightly additional sparkle and crunch, however it’s an non-compulsory step.
Slice the dough logs. They’re about 7 or 8 inches, so every cookie is a little more than 1/2 inch thick.
Organize in your lined baking sheet and bake.
2-Ingredient Icing
As soon as your cookies have absolutely cooled, make the simple icing by whisking collectively sifted confectioners’ sugar and slightly orange juice. Truthfully, this is perhaps even simpler than the topping for Andes mint chocolate cookies! For additional management over the drizzling, I pour the icing right into a squeeze bottle, however you actually don’t have to do that. (The identical squeeze bottles I exploit for adorning Christmas sugar cookies with simple cookie icing!)
Or you may merely dip a fork within the icing and drizzle it over the cooled cookies.
Can I exploit white or darkish chocolate as a substitute? YES! See recipe Observe for particulars.
The icing units after 30–60 minutes, so you may simply retailer, stack, and transport the cookies. They might appear actually easy, however these cranberry-speckled cookies had been the primary to go from a cookie tray I put collectively the opposite week… which additionally included crowd-favorites peanut butter blossoms and chocolate crinkle cookies. That claims one thing!!!!
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is a part of my annual cookie countdown referred to as Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the most important, most scrumptious occasion of the 12 months! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza web page together with:
and listed below are my high 10 cookie baking instruments should you’re searching for suggestions!
Description
Take pleasure in a buttery shortbread-like cookie flecked with chewy dried cranberries and aromatic orange zest. Drizzle on a simple 2-ingredient orange glaze for a flavorful of completion. Ensure you have a citrus juicer and zester.
- In a big bowl utilizing a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar collectively on medium-high velocity till mixed and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat within the egg and vanilla extract on excessive velocity. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl as wanted, and proceed to beat till absolutely mixed. Add the flour and salt and beat on low velocity till mixed. Lastly, beat within the orange juice, orange zest, and dried cranberries till simply mixed. The cookie dough will probably be thick and barely sticky.
- Flip the dough out onto a floured work floor and, with floured fingers, divide or lower in half. Roll/form every half right into a 7- or 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t must be precise. Tightly wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and chill within the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours and as much as 5 days. Chilling is obligatory for this cookie dough. I favor to sit back mine in a single day; the orange taste actually comes by way of the longer this dough sits!
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Put aside.
- Optionally available rolling in sugar: Pour sufficient coarse sugar on an 8-inch or bigger plate to cowl it. Roll the logs within the sugar. You might want to actually press the dough logs down into the sugar if it’s probably not sticking. (I discover coating the dough logs in sugar after chilling a lot simpler, because the dough is just too sticky to neatly roll in sugar proper after mixing.)
- Slice every dough log into 12 equally thick cookies and prepare cookies on ready baking sheets about 2 inches aside.
- Bake the cookies for 13–quarter-hour or till very flippantly brown across the edges. Take away from the oven and permit cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes earlier than transferring to a wire rack to chill utterly.
- Icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice collectively. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Be at liberty to high every with extra orange zest whereas icing continues to be moist. The icing units after 30–60 minutes, so you may simply retailer, stack, and transport the cookies.
- Cookies will keep contemporary coated at room temperature for as much as 1 week.
Key phrases: cranberry orange icebox cookies
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