Cranberry Cookies

Cranberry cookies make great Christmas cookies, but are also a great way to use up leftover fresh cranberries after the holidays. These are my favorite cranberry nut swirl cookies - they're well worth freezing cranberries so you can make them any time during the year!

These are great make-ahead cookies! You can freeze the rolled log indefinitely, then slice and bake the cookies whenever you like! Then as scooch would say, you're only 12 minutes away from fresh hot cookies!

Fun bonus note: these cookies won a cooking contest when I was 8 years old. I made them with my grandma and my little brother, and we were pleasantly shocked to win first prize! They've been a family favorite ever since.

Sneaky Valentine's Day mod: pinch the cylinder of dough on one side, and poke it in on the other before freezing it to make a heart-shaped cross-section. Delicious, and arguably romantic. ;)

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Step 1: Ingredients

Dough:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sugary goo:
5 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon milk (or cream)

Filling:
1/2 cup ground cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc)
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel

mashore says: Jan 28, 2013. 10:09 AM

About how many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks.

Flkrakr says: Oct 23, 2012. 9:58 PM

Are the cranberries fresh or canned?

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canida (author) in reply to FlkrakrOct 27, 2012. 8:50 AM

Fresh! Canned will be all soggy and won't cook up right.

susanchen2011 says: Jul 11, 2012. 8:50 PM

These look awesome.

1ncognita says: Feb 16, 2011. 1:43 AM

Hi, these were great, and I made them last month. I did want to try a chocolate version of it though, and ofcourse, that was a bit of a disaster as chocolate doesnt really behave the same way as fruits and nuts when baked.
I made a sticky paste with sugar, milk, cocoa powder and a little nutella, and sprinkled walnuts and chocolate chips on it.
It was okay-ish, but after being about 8 minutes in the oven, the chocolate would bubble up and spill onto the surrounding bits.
Do you have any ideas what might be done to make a chocolatey versoin of this cookie? :)

arku says: Feb 11, 2010. 6:35 PM

hello there!! the recipe sounds good, i wanna try it!!! But i have a question.. what's the weight for the stick of butter? It looks big tough hahaha

smms5494 in reply to arkuMar 9, 2010. 3:05 PM

a stick of butter is:
   ~8 tablespoons
   ~4 oz
   ~125 grams

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canida (author) in reply to smms5494Nov 22, 2010. 5:34 PM

Thanks for the conversion help, smms!

And arku, let me know if you try them.

arku in reply to canidaNov 25, 2010. 7:55 AM

I do tried them, and they were great! All of my friends loved them

platypus7 says: Nov 25, 2010. 6:22 AM

both very tasty and very easy. i just had a bit of a problem rolling the dough

OtisDrftwood says: Nov 23, 2010. 1:45 PM

My mother makes cookies almost exactly like this every christmas. She got the recipe from my dad's mother, who made them a hundred years ago this way. The only difference is we don't use cranberries (we call them 'grape swirls').

Couldn't help but comment, I saw the picture and was instantly nostalgi-lized.
Everyone should try these out, if you don't like or can't get cranberries, experiment with other fruit.

andreaboylee says: Nov 23, 2010. 12:03 AM

Great idea for today for my family. Thanks! :)

rubberducky47 says: Nov 22, 2010. 10:14 AM

Thanks for the amazing recipe! They were a huge hit at my neighborhood Christmas party! And they left the entire house smelling of cranberries. :)

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canida (author) in reply to rubberducky47Nov 22, 2010. 5:35 PM

Awesome, glad to be of help!
There's nothing like the smell of fresh cookies. They're the best ever.

missiswealth says: Nov 19, 2010. 7:13 PM

My husband's birthday tomorrow and I will make a cranberry cookies for him.

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canida (author) in reply to missiswealthNov 22, 2010. 5:34 PM

Excellent! Please post pictures if you do!

kjander says: Feb 13, 2010. 9:32 PM

Yum. Wow these are good -- the the instructions are perfect. Thanks! I'm marking these to make again...

I did try them heart-shaped as you suggested, and turned them into valentines for friends. Here's what I came up with: craftastica.blogspot.com

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canida (author) in reply to kjanderNov 22, 2010. 5:33 PM

Awesome! I love the picture - the next set I make will have to be heart-shaped too. Thanks for sharing.

Ninzerbean says: Feb 2, 2010. 2:12 PM

Mmmmmmmm!

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canida (author) in reply to NinzerbeanFeb 3, 2010. 6:39 PM

Thanks for the vote of confidence! ;)
Let me know if you try them.

AngryRedhead says: Feb 2, 2010. 2:06 PM

Wow, those look really delicious, and they're VERY pretty! I'll have to stock up on cranberries after Thanksgiving this year so I can make them for Christmas.

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canida (author) in reply to AngryRedheadFeb 2, 2010. 5:19 PM

They're extra-awesome because you can freeze those logs in advance, and have FRESH HOT COOKIES in 15 minutes. ;)

Hm, I should probably point this feature out in the Instructable. Off to edit...