Today’s White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies are a family favorite. They are a little crumbly at the edges and chewy in the center and they are flavored by the pecans in the most lovely way with the essence of orange in the background.
Based on one of my favorite biscotti recipes, I’ve eliminated the need to slice the hot cookies and bake them for a second time. I slice the cookies before baking making this easier and quicker. If you want a crispier cookie for dunking in a cup of espresso, just bake them longer, until golden on top.
Pecans ground into the flour in the food processor.
These cookies are super simple to make. They are made with oil, so you don’t cream the sugar with butter like you normally would. Mixing after each addition will fully blend everything together while keeping the dough fairly dense.
I love the combination of chocolate, either dark or white, and orange, but you can use any additions you like. Feel free to change the fruit – cherries are wonderful here too. Just be sure that the pieces are small so they don’t cause the cookies to break apart.
The recipe calls for pecans but you can use any nut that you like. Walnuts or sliced almonds would both be great in these cookies.
Hot from the oven!
Likewise, using mini white chocolate chips is preferred because it makes them much easier to cut and bake without falling apart so easily. I didn’t have enough minis for the recipe so I used regular size chips and they were tougher to hold together. Mini chips also make sure you get white chocolate in every bite!
While a food processor will make this much faster and easier to make, you can do the chopping by hand with a sharp chef’s knife if you don’t have a processor.
These cookies hold up extremely well so you can bake them a day or two ahead and free yourself up for preparing the rest of the food on the day of your event. They also travel well for potlucks or parties in other locations.
I hope you will make and enjoy these White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies. They are perfect for every celebration or a daily treat!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies:
- Dried cranberries, pecans, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, oil
- Orange zest, eggs, vanilla, mini white chocolate chips, raw sugar
PRO Tip:
If you can find them, use mini white chocolate chips in this recipe. They are less likely to cause the cookies to crack and break than full-size chips. But either size will work.
PRO Tip:
I like to sometimes flatten out the edges of the logs to make square or rectangular-shaped cookies. It adds a nice variety to the shapes on your holiday platters.
How to make White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies:
- Chop the cranberries in a food processor with a few pulses; transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add pecans to the processor and pulse a few times, then add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Process until nuts are finely chopped in the flour. Set aside.
- In your mixer, beat together the sugar, oil, zest, eggs, and vanilla, until the eggs are broken up and then increase speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in the white chocolate and chopped cranberries. Add the dry ingredients and carefully mix on low until it just holds together, about 30 to 45 seconds. Do not over beat.
- Transfer half the dough to a sheet of parchment paper, form into a log about 12-inches (31 cm) long, and wrap tightly in the parchment twisting the ends closed. Repeat with remaining dough. Place both logs in the freezer to firm up for about 30 minutes.
- Unwrap and cut the logs into two pieces each. Then roll the shorter dough logs in coarse raw sugar if desired, slice 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick, and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. They don’t spread much so you can put them close together.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, switching oven racks top to bottom and spin the trays front to back halfway through. Bake until lightly golden on the bottoms and the tops are fairly firm to the touch. They will get very little color on top so watch them closely.
- If you want crispier cookies for dunking in a cup of espresso, just baking longer.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool and store in airtight containers for up to a week.
PRO Tip:
I prefer to bake one sheet of cookies at a time because it gives me more control and more evenly baked cookies. I can load the second baking sheet while the first one is baking for a quick turn-around in the oven.
PRO Tip:
You can often tell when the cookies are done when you can smell them baking – your nose can often tell before your eyes when baked goods are ready!
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Microplane zester/grater
- Food processor
- Chef’s knife
- Stand mixer
- Parchment paper sheets or Silpats/silicone baking mats
Gluten-Free Tips:
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially if you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies (GF)
Today's White Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry Cookies are a family favorite. They are a little crumbly at the edges and chewy in the center and they are flavored by the pecans in the most lovely way with the essence of orange in the background.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (114g) sweetened dried cranberries or your favorite dried fruits
- 3 cups (342g) pecan pieces
- 2-1/4 cups (270g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour* or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) light olive oil or vegetable oil
- Finely chopped zest of an orange
- 2 large eggs (100g)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (177g) mini white chocolate chips preferably or 170g regular white chocolate chips
- Turbinado or raw sugar crystals (use colored sugar or edible glitter for holiday sparkle!), optional
Instructions
- In a food processor, chop the cranberries pulsing until broken up. Transfer the fruit to a bowl and set aside. If you do not have food processor chop finely with a sharp knife.
- Add the pecans to the food processor and pulse a few times. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Process until the nuts are finely chopped in the flour. Set the bowl aside.
- n the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer combine the sugar, oil, zest, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until the eggs are broken up and then increase to medium for about 30 seconds until smooth. Blend in the white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and carefully mix on low until it just holds together, about 30 to 45 seconds. Do not over beat.
- Transfer half of the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Using the paper to help you, form into a log about 12-inches (31 cm) long. Wrap with the parchment and twist the ends closed. Repeat with remaining dough. Place both logs in the freezer, seam side down, to firm up for about 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F, with the racks set in the upper and lower thirds of oven.
- Unwrap and cut the log of dough into two pieces. Working with half of a log at a time makes it much easier to get an even coating of sugar on the outside. Then roll the logs in the coarse sugar, if desired, slice into 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick slices, and place on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets. Press edges together if needed. They do not spread much so you can place them close together.
- Bake for a total of 10 to 15 minutes, switching oven racks, top to bottom/bottom to top, and spinning back to front halfway through baking. Bake until bottoms are golden brown and the tops feel fairly firm to the touch. They will get very little color on the top so watch carefully.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week … if they last that long!
- The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. Write the type of cookies and baking directions on the outside of the parchment and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. These make wonderful hostess gifts!!
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
*You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially if you are baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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