Cranberry Cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. So many things you can add to them that make your cookies unique and just plain delicious. When creating this cookie, I was thinking of all the smells and flavors of Christmas when looking for my flavor combinations. The first thing that comes to mind is walnuts, then oranges, and finally, cinnamon.

I wanted something different then just walnuts. My thought was how to dress them up for this cookie, candied or caramelized walnuts would be the perfect touch. You can purchase or make your own caramelized walnuts. I have added instruction on how easy it is to whip up a batch.
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Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Sugar white
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Orange zest
- Orange juice
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Dried cranberries
- Cinnamon Chips
- Caramelized walnuts*
Make Your Own Caramelized Walnuts*
You can purchase them at certain stores or on-line but honestly they only take about 15 minutes to make them at home. Don't use small chopped walnuts, they burn easily. I caramelize the walnuts first, then chop them into smaller pieces. I found this same recipe all over the Internet, but you can add a few other things to spice it up. Two peas in a pod has one with cayenne pepper and cinnamon. The one I used was from Carlsbad Craving.
Start with a nonstick frying pan and add:
- 1 cup of walnuts
- ¼ cup of white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
Heat over medium heat and continuously stir. You want the sugar to melt and thicken enough to coat the walnuts. Don't let it get too thick or it will have a burnt taste. It should only take about 5 to 6 minutes for this part.
I got a sheet pan and lined it with parchment paper. Then added the coated walnut and separating them. I let them cool for about 10 minutes.
After they cool, I add them to a cutting board and chop them into smaller pieces for the cookies.
This is about the size I used for my cookies, but you can make them smaller if you like. Just put the chopped caramelized walnuts into a measuring cup so you have 1 cup for the cookie dough.
Making the Cranberry Cookies
To me, this is a great cookie to start fall with. I really like to use the dried cranberries since I do not have to wait for them to be harvested and they don't turn my cookie dough red. These are so versatile and brighten any cookie up.
Prepping
In a bowl, weigh or measure the powdered sugar, white sugar, and dark brown sugar and set it aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. I run a whisk through the flour mixture to blend them together.
Since the walnuts are taken care of, you will need to zest and juice an orange.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
Cube the room temperature butter into a mixer bowl and add the cream cheese. Blend for about 1 minute on a medium mixer speed.
You can tell if the butter is room temperature by how long it takes to get soft peaks and the cream cheese and butter are mixed. If it is still a little too cold, it may take a little longer.
Now, add the 3 sugars and start on a low speed. The powdered sugar tends to fly everywhere until it is incorporated. Then bring to a medium speed for 3 minutes. The mixture will look silky and creamy.
Next, add the orange zest and juice. Break an egg into a small dish to make sure there are no egg shells before adding to the cookie dough. Mix until the orange and egg are incorporated. This is about a minute on a medium speed.
Scrape down the sides and across the bottom and turn the mixer to a low speed. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time. This only takes about a minute. I scrape the sides again and add the nuts, cranberries, and chips. Mix for 10 seconds.
Finally, taking a strong spatula finish blending everything together. I make sure the add-ins are as evenly distributed as I can make them. Lightly cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Scoop and Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) grab 2 cookie sheet pans and line them with parchment paper. I use a medium cookie scooper for this cookie. Add 12 scoops of cookie dough to one of the prepared cookie sheet pans.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. I leave them on the cookie sheet pan for a minute after I pull the pan from the oven. Then move the cookies to a cooling rack.
I leave them on the rack to finish baking and to firm up. Sometimes when using powdered sugar in cookies, they need a little time to set.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
Yes, these are perfect for cookies but also as a snack. I put them out at Christmas for the family to munch on before dinner.
Fresh cranberries adds moisture to the cookies, which can result in a soggy cookie. You would need to reduce the liquid and adjust the baking time.
Yes, you can. You can try to reduce the sugar by 25% for a less sweet cookie. The caramelized walnuts will help keep some of the sweetness.
I keep them in an air-tight container for 5-7 days. This only work if you used the dried cranberries. If you adjusted this recipe for fresh cranberries, it will be more like 4-5 days.
Other Cranberry Cookies
Recipe
Cranberry Cinnamon Caramelized Walnut Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
Ingredients
COOKIES
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 4 ounces (4 oz) Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar white
- ¼ cup (55 g) Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 (1) Egg
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Orange juice
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (121.21 g) Dried cranberries
- ½ cup (118.29 g) Cinnamon Chips
- 1 cup (236 g) Caramelized walnuts
CARAMELIZED WALNUTS
- 1 cup Walnuts
- ¼ cup Sugar white
- 1 Tablespoon Butter unsalted
Instructions
- If you are making your own caramelized walnuts add the walnuts, sugar and butter to a nonstick frying pan. Heat over a medium heat so that the sugar melts with the butter. Stir continuously until the sugar butter is thick enough to coat the walnuts. This takes about 6 minutes. Then lay them out on parchment paper and separate them. Let them cool for about 10 minutes. Now you can chop them into the size you want for the cookie. I make them about the size of a dried cranberry.
- Zest and juice 1 orange into 2 separate bowls. In another bowl, weigh or measure the powdered, white, and dark brown sugars, then setting the bowl aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, baking powder and run a whisk through to blend.
- Cube the butter and add the cream cheese to a mixer bowl. Blend for a minute or two. Add the sugars to the butter cream cheese mixture and blend on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes. Scrap the sides down and add the orange zest and juice. Crack the egg into a small bowl first to make sure there are not any eggshells then add it to the mixing bowl. Blend until the egg and orange juice and zest are incorporated.
- Turn the mixer down to low and add about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time until the flour is incorporated. At this point, I turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Turn the mixer on for another 20 seconds until all the flour is absorbed. Turn the mixer off and add the cranberries, caramelized walnuts, and the cinnamon chips mix until incorporated about 10 seconds. Cover lightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Taking a medium cookie scoop, I scooped 12 mounds onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan. Bake for 11-13 minutes. After pulling the cookies from the oven, leave them on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack. The tops will be soft, but that is good; they become more solid as they cool.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Brandy Gerstenberg
This cookie was fantastic! Recipe was easy to follow, and now I have a new cookie to add to the holiday list!
Barbara
Hi Brandy, I am so happy you liked my cookie! I love the fact that this is added to your list of Christmas cookies. Happy Holidays - Barbara