Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Cookies made with wholesome ingredients for a healthier holiday cookie to share with friends and family! Bursting with citrus flavor, these easy cookies are a dream come true!
During the fall and winter months, I simply cannot get enough of cranberry orange treats. From my Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake, Cranberry Orange Bread to my Cranberry Orange Muffins, I am glued to this fantastic duo!
Well, my all-new cranberry orange cookie recipe is the latest addition to my cran-orange obsession, and let me just say. They are BANGARANG!
Soft and chewy with an explosion of tangy citrus and cranberry flavor, they are a vibrant addition to any holiday cookie exchange and are perfect for enjoying year round too. I drizzle some with an orange glaze for those who love sweeter cookies, but I find the level of sweetness without the glaze is just perfect for me.
Grain-free, refined sugar-free and easy to make dairy-free, these cranberry orange cookies are ideal for those with dietary restrictions and those who simply love a healthy treat.
One of my favorite parts about this easy recipe is that there is no need for kitchen appliances like a stand mixer, and there is no need to refrigerate the dough before baking it into cookies.
In essence, you simply stir, scoop, and bake! Easy enough for a novice baker!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this perfect addition to the holiday season!
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Cookies:
Almond Flour: Taking the place of regular all-purpose flour, I use naturally grain-free almond flour in my cranberry orange cookie recipes. I love the light, soft, chewy texture that almond flour imparts and the fact that it adds healthy fats, protein, and fiber to the dessert.
I use Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour, and other brands of almond flour may vary in the results.
Dried Cranberries: Sweet and tangy dried cranberries add little bursts of cranberry cheer!
Fresh Orange Zest: We need two fresh navel oranges to gather a generous amount of orange zest. This is where all of the orange flavor comes from!
Pure Maple Syrup: The natural sweetener here. For me, the cookies turn out perfectly sweet without the glaze.
Egg: The egg helps bind all of the ingredients together and ensures the batter has a lovely soft consistency.
Unsalted Butter: Butter brings fat to the recipe, which adds richness and chewiness.
Baking Soda: The leavening agent here. Baking soda prevents the batter from spreading too much and creates slightly crispy edges.
Recipe Tips & Customizations:
- Use 3 tablespoons of coconut oil instead of butter if you prefer.
- For sweeter cookies, consider adding 1 to 2 tablespoons or brown sugar or white sugar.
- You can use fresh cranberries instead of dried cranberries. I recommend carefully chopping them into 4ths before adding them to the cookie dough.
- If you have pure vanilla extract on hand, feel free to add 1 teaspoon, although I don’t think it is necessary.
- When zesting the oranges, be sure to zest the orange part only, leaving the white pith behind. The pith tastes bitter, so for the best possible cookie, stick with the outer orange peel only.
- Bake a double batch of cookies using two baking sheets if you’re serving more than a handful of guests.
How to Make Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda and sea salt, and mix well. Set aside until ready to use.
Mix the melted butter, egg, pure maple syrup, and orange zest in a large bowl until combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well.
Stir in the dried cranberries. A sticky dough will form – this is normal.
Use a small cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between each lump of dough.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden brown and the cookies appear set up.
Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving them, as they will be very delicate when warm.
Optional Orange Glaze:
If you’d like to make the optional glaze, simply combine ½ cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of orange juice or water and some orange zest. Mix well until a smooth consistency results. Drizzle the orange glaze over the cookies and allow the glaze to cool and harden before serving.
Storage Options:
- Room Temperature: Store the cookies in a zip lock bag or an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: For longer term storage, freeze cookies in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
And that’s it! The next time you’re craving a big burst of cranberry orange goodness, whip up these easy cookies!
They are perfect for the winter holidays when citrus is in season and we’re all craving that classic cranberry orange flavor.
If you love baking homemade cookies, try some of my other reader favorites!
More Holiday Cookie Recipes:
- Raspberry Filled Snowball Cookies
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
- Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Bake batches of these vibrant cookies for your cookie exchanges, or enjoy them at your next holiday party!
Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180g) almond flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 4 Tbsp (56g, 2oz) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled*
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 4 Tbsp (60ml) pure maple syrup
- Zest of 2 navel oranges about 1.5 to 2 Tbsp
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Optional Icing
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) orange juice or water
- pinch orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda and sea salt, and mix well. Set aside until ready to use.
- Mix the melted butter, egg, pure maple syrup, and orange zest in a large bowl until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dried cranberries. A sticky dough will form – this is normal.
- Use a small cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between each lump of dough.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden brown and the cookies appear set up.
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before moving them, as they will be very delicate when warm.
- Optional Orange Glaze:
- If you’d like to make the optional glaze, simply combine ½ cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of orange juice or water and some orange zest. Mix well until a smooth consistency results. Drizzle the orange glaze over the cookies and allow the glaze to cool and harden before serving.
This recipe is bursting with flavor and I have a cookie that I can eat and it is delicious! I had to make substitutions to accommodate my allergies. I had to eliminate the egg, maple syrup and dried craisins due to allergies. I substituted 2 gelatin eggs, a scant 1/2 cup ground cranberries and a scant tsp if liquid stevia. I also omitted the icing. The cookies were soft , slightly moist, bursting with flavor and absolutely delicious!
(I avoid social media so no photo posted but I can email)
All of that sounds marvelous, Michele! I appreciate you swinging back around to share feedback. I’m happy to hear the gelatin egg worked out – I don’t always have luck with egg replacements when using almond flour 🙂 I hope your holidays went great, and thanks a million again for the feedback!
We had these scones for breakfast and absolutely loved them. The texture was very close to a traditional flour-based scone, and the flavor was so delicious that my husband didn’t even realize he was eating a healthier option.
I’m thrilled to hear you guys enjoyed them! Thanks so much for swinging around to let me know 🙂