These cranberry orange icebox cookies deliver big flavor from surprisingly simple ingredients. Enjoy a buttery shortbread-like cookie flecked with chewy dried cranberries and fragrant orange zest. For a sparkly edge and sweet crunch, roll the logs of dough in coarse sugar before slicing and baking. And drizzle on an easy 2-ingredient orange glaze for a flavorful finishing touch.
One reader, Maryn, commented: “These are wonderful! I made them last year, and they are as delicious and beautiful as shown in the recipe! Take the time to roll the logs in the coarse sugar and make the glaze with the orange zest on top… so gorgeous! Can’t wait to make them again this year! ★★★★★“
These bejeweled-looking cranberry orange cookies are surprisingly simple to make. You need very basic baking ingredients, and the dough comes together in just 1 bowl. (Is that music to your ears!?)
The juice and zest of a fresh orange gives these buttery shortbread-like cookies a bright and cheery flavor, complemented by the sweet-tart dried cranberries. I love this flavor combo, as evidenced by recipes like cranberry orange scones and orange cranberry bread.
And you’ll love the convenience of these icebox cookies! Make the dough ahead of time, pop it in the refrigerator, then just slice and bake when you’re ready. With so many Christmas cookies to make, I know we all appreciate a great make-ahead recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
- Simple, basic ingredients
- Easy-to-follow 1-bowl recipe
- Buttery shortbread flavored with fresh orange and studded with chewy dried cranberries
- Soft and thick in the centers, crispy around the edges
- Cranberry + orange combo is flavorful and colorful—so festive!
- A great make-ahead cookie recipe
- No rolling individual dough balls—just slice and bake
- Easy 2-ingredient icing
They’re called icebox cookies for a reason: chilling the cookie dough logs is essential. Like pinwheel cookies (another slice-and-bake style cookie), the cookie dough is very buttery and, without time in the refrigerator, will bake into greasy puddles. Let’s save the puddles for chocolate lava cakes.
It may seem like an exercise in delayed gratification, but I prefer to think of it as a great make-ahead recipe! The cookie dough logs can hang out in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze them for even longer. Simply thaw in the refrigerator for an hour or two before slicing and baking. Having some cookie dough in the freezer is such a time-saver during the busy holiday season!
Simple Ingredients
The base dough for these slice-and-bake cookies is just like reader-favorite dark chocolate orange slice-and-bake cookies. Which, honestly, is sort of like my shortbread cookie dough and classic roll-out dough for sugar cookies combined. Butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, salt… Cookie Crew, assemble!
The only other ingredients you need are a navel orange (zest and juice), dried cranberries, some coarse sugar for rolling, and confectioners’ sugar for the icing.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
This is all very easy! I love the slice-and-bake style (aka icebox) method and you can find more variations on my website and in my cookbook, including coconut-y Santa’s whiskers cookies, colorful sprinkle slice-and-bakes, brown sugar shortbread cookies, and toasted hazelnut slice-and-bake cookies.
Make the cookie dough all in 1 bowl, and then divide in half. It’s quite creamy, so have a little extra flour on hand.
Shape each portion into a log (just roll it), and then wrap up tightly and chill for 3 hours. After that, roll the dough logs in coarse sugar. I always use these sparkling sugar sprinkles or something like Sugar in the Raw. It provides a little extra sparkle and crunch, but it’s an optional step.
Slice the dough logs. They’re about 7 or 8 inches, so each cookie is a bit more than 1/2 inch thick.
Arrange on your lined baking sheet and bake.
2-Ingredient Icing
Once your cookies have fully cooled, make the easy icing by whisking together sifted confectioners’ sugar and a little orange juice. Honestly, this might be even easier than the topping for Andes mint chocolate cookies! For extra control over the drizzling, I pour the icing into a squeeze bottle, but you certainly don’t have to do this. (The same squeeze bottles I use for decorating Christmas sugar cookies with easy cookie icing!)
Or you simply can dip a fork in the icing and drizzle it over the cooled cookies. You can also just dip the tops of the cookies in the icing like we do with lemon shortbread cookies.
Can I use white or dark chocolate instead? YES! See recipe Note for details.
The icing sets after 30–60 minutes, so you can easily store, stack, and transport the cookies. They may seem really simple, but these cranberry-speckled cookies were the first to go from a cookie tray I put together the other week… which also included crowd-favorites peanut butter blossoms and chocolate crinkle cookies. That says something!!!!
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
- Almond Butter Sparkle Cookies
- Cinnamon Palmiers
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies
- Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
and here are my top 10 cookie baking tools if you’re looking for recommendations!
Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes dough chilling)
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Enjoy a buttery shortbread-like cookie flecked with chewy dried cranberries and fragrant orange zest. Drizzle on an easy 2-ingredient orange glaze for a flavorful finishing touch. Make sure you have a citrus juicer and zester.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3/4 cup (100g) very finely chopped dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
- optional: coarse sugar for rolling, such as this sparkling sugar
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
- optional: more orange zest
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed, and continue to beat until fully combined. Add the flour and salt and beat on low speed until combined. Finally, beat in the orange juice, orange zest, and dried cranberries until just combined. The cookie dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, with floured hands, divide or cut in half. Roll/shape each half into a 7- or 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Tightly wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I prefer to chill mine overnight; the orange flavor really comes through the longer this dough sits!
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Optional rolling in sugar: Pour enough coarse sugar on an 8-inch or larger plate to cover it. Roll the logs in the sugar. You may need to really press the dough logs down into the sugar if it’s not really sticking. (I find coating the dough logs in sugar after chilling much easier, as the dough is too sticky to neatly roll in sugar right after mixing.)
- Slice each dough log into 12 equally thick cookies and arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 13–15 minutes or until very lightly brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Feel free to top each with more orange zest while icing is still wet. The icing sets after 30–60 minutes, so you can easily store, stack, and transport the cookies.
- Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. You can make/assemble the cookie dough logs and chill in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (see step 2). Cookie dough logs freeze well too, up to 3 months. Allow the logs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 3.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rolling Pin | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Coarse Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Can I dip in white or dark chocolate instead? Yes! Cranberries, orange, and white or dark chocolate are a great trio of flavors! Feel free to skip the icing and dip the cookies in (or drizzle the cookies with) melted white or dark chocolate, just like these sprinkle slice-and-bake cookies or these dark chocolate orange slice-and-bake cookies.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made these as written last Christmas and they were a huge hit! Can I make these in bar form for visual variety? What size pan would you recommend?
Hi Mallory! This dough wouldn’t make the best bars. You could add cranberry and orange zest to our shortbread recipe, or you may love these blondies!
These sound delish!! I have your new cookbook. I’m wondering if these cookies would freeze well: chocolate peanut butter covered shortbread cookies, chocolate covered cherry thumbprints, and banana walnut cookies. I’m starting to bake for Christmas. Thanks!!
Hi Samantha, you’ll find this post helpful!
Thanks!! So these are all cookies that will freeze well then? Thanks.
Yes, they should all freeze well!
These are really delish cookies! I’ve also made them with lemon and dried blueberries, which were a huge hit! Thanks again Sally!
I had to make these twice, doubling the recipe the second time because the first batch disappeared within a day. On the second go around I increased the orange zest to around three or four tsps (instead of 2 tsp for the double batch) because the first batch wasnt as orangey as i wanted. i was a little worried that the extra zest would affect the moisture content or something but they came out great, the right level of tangy orange. I did not ice them because i felt they were plenty sweet after rolling in sugar and the icing would’ve been too much.
I’ve made many of your recipes & love them! I now need to make gluten free desserts for my daughter. Do you have those kinds of recipes?
Hi BK! We aren’t experienced gluten free bakers, but we do have a collection of naturally gluten free recipes.
Oh, these were good. They were so good. So fragrant and delicious. I made these for gifts, along with two variations (cranberry & pistachio with white chocolate, and a salted chocolate chunk) and all three worked out so well. This is a fantastic recipe for playing with, and I thank you for making my Christmas cookie rush so much easier. 10/10 Will definitely make these again.
How thick should the slices be? When I sliced my logs into “12 equally thick cookies” they were quite thick. (Much thicker looking that your photos).
Hi Amanda, each cookie is a bit more than 1/2 inch thick.
I don’t have orange zest. Can I use extract?
I was concerned these cookies would spread based on other reviews. I made them Gluten Free and they didn’t spread at all! They stayed the same shape and they taste great! Thank you for this recipe.
I’m going to make these cookies today but wondered if when I chop up the cranberries I could add a little flour to them so they don’t stick to the knife?
Hi Barb, you could try that, but they will likely still stick a little.
I did add walnuts to this recipe and they were fantastic!! I can’t tell you how much I really appreciate you! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. My daughters birthday is coming up on the 27th and I will be trying another of them. Happy new year to you and yours.
Can I add about 3/4 C shelled pistachios Without affecting this recipe?
Hi Donna! You definitely can add pistachios here. 3/4 cup may be a bit too much. We would try 1/2 to 2/3 cup instead.
My sister made these. They turned out to be hers and my daughters favorite cookie of the many we baked.
I am on my 3rd batch of these this month so far! They are absolutely delicious and are my all-time favorite cookie. I do not use the icing, just roll them in sugar. Yum, yum, yum!
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried?
Hi Ginny, no I do not recommend fresh.
Could these cookies be saved in the fridge as discs and used for cut out cookies or will they spread too much?
Hi Cameron, we haven’t tested this recipe as a cut-out cookie, so are unsure of the results. If you decide to try it, please let us know how it goes!
I’ve made these cookies the last two Christmas seasons and everyone just loves them! I plan to make more this coming weekend, but need to make double the amount. Would you say doubling the recipe as is would be fine, or should I just make two batches? Thanks!
Hi Beka, We are so happy these cookies have been a hit! You should be able to double this recipe.
What do you use for the dark chocolate drizzle? Also, wondering if walnuts would work in this recipe? Thank you so much for sharing can’t wait to make these!!
Hi Barb! Use dark chocolate baking bars to melt for a dark chocolate drizzle. You could definitely add some walnuts in this recipe, we would chop them pretty finely and replace some of the craisins.
Excellent recipe! Made them for a cookie swap. Nice to make the dough in advance and bake off when you need them especially when short on time. Delicious flavor, not too sweet. So glad I made extra!
Hi Sally, thanks for the recipe! Its mandatory to make the log shape? Can i make it like drop cookies? I allready bake some and they spread a lot, they did not maintain the shape! Thanks !!
Hi Nicole, if your cookies are spreading a lot, it may be that they need to chill for longer (or even in the freezer for a bit), or that the dough needed a little more flour. We haven’t tested this dough as drop cookies, so are unsure of how they would turn out. Try freezing the sliced cookies on the baking sheet for 15-30 minutes and then baking–hope this helps!
What do you think about subbing some brown sugar in place of the granulated sugar? I just love a richer brown sugar cookie flavor with cranberry and orange flavors. Would you or could you sub all or some of the sugar? Also I think I have made a similar recipe with oats. Do you have a favorite recipe similar to that? Thanks!
Swapping in brown sugar would add more moisture to these cookies, which may cause them to spread too much. Let us know if you try anything. We love these Holiday Magic 5 Cookies! You could add some orange zest there.
Loved the Flavor but my cookies did not bake in the middle. The edges were browned and baked at 350 for about 20-22 mins. I chilled dough overnight and pulled out cut and baked. Do you need to let the dough come to room temp before hand?
Hi Krystin! If the edges are browning before the middles can bake, your oven may run a little hot. We always recommend using an in-oven thermometer so you know exactly how hot your oven is!
I do have an oven thermometer and it’s only 5 degrees hotter than what my oven is set at.
These turned out so good! Can I substitute dried cherries and vanilla for cranberry and orange?
Hi Bonnie, we haven’t tried it but we can’t see why not. Let us know how they turn out if you give it a try!
The recipe calls for 2 cups +2 Tablespoons of flour. Is the 2 Tbls used in the batter or to flour work surface to divide the dough? I love all your recipes!
Hi Marsha! All the flour goes into the dough.
I haven’t baked them yet but I’m excited to! What are your thoughts about adding chopped pecans?
Hi Jenny, we haven’t tried it, but don’t see why that wouldn’t work! Let us know how they turn out!
Can I use candied orange peel instead of zest for these?
Hi Jan, we haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let us know how they taste!
Hi! Would it be better to freeze the full dough logs or cut the logs into slices and freeze the slices like I’d freeze other cookie doughs?
Hi Mallory, we recommend freezing the logs, then thawing them in the refrigerator overnight, then slice and bake. You can see all the details in this post and video on how to freeze cookie dough. Hope this helps!
I am going to test out this recipe for my family Christmas baking day. I have salted butter. Could I use that and just omit the added salt?
Hi Abby, yes, you can do that.
I love these cookies.I have drizzled melted dark chocolate instead of icing on top. Delicious!
I baked
My cookies spread on the bottom. I baked two sheets at the same time, with the oven racks on the top and bottom thirds of the oven. I rotated the sheets shelf to shelf and front to back halfway through, trying to get them to bake evenly, but still they puddled a bit. I had refrigerated the rolls of dough overnight and let them sit out for about 20 minutes before baking. I baked them for a club fundraiser and don’t really want to use them as they aren’t pretty like yours. Two questions: What do you think the problem was? What can I do with four dozen puddled cookies?
Hi Susan! Did you bake them all at once? Your cookie trays may have been overcrowded, leading to the speading. Make sure they’re about 2 inches apart. Here’s more tips for preventing cookies from spreading. The cookies can be frozen to serve at a holiday gathering!
I baked 12 to a sgeet, with at least 2″ between. I use silicone baking sheets on the pans. The oven was preheated for at least a half hour.
The cookies are frozen, uniced. They just aren’t attractive and not up to my usual standard. I might try a trifle or cookie pops or something. I’m hesitant to try this recipe again but I might just baking a single sheet at a time.
This recipe is awesome. I made 10” logs because I needed smaller cookies!
“finely chopped” dried cranberries was time consuming. Was hesitant to use food processor lest they turn to paste…