These lemon cranberry cookies combine a bright lemony flavor with a little bit of sweet and tart from the dried cranberries, all topped with a lemon glaze. They're a fun and delicious holiday cookie.
These lemon cranberry cookies may not be the usual cookie flavor you think of for the holidays, but they are such a wonderful combination of flavors. They're both sweet and tart, so chewy, and extra delicious with the lemon glaze on top.
For more cranberry recipes try my cranberry orange muffins, my cranberry sour cream bundt cake and my oatmeal craisin cookies.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- SO CHEWY: These cookies are so chewy and almost melt in your mouth.
- FLAVORS: The lemon and cranberry are such a great combo of sweet and tart.
- EASY TO MAKE: These are a very basic and easy cookie to make that you can't go wrong with!
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Lemon: You will use both the lemon zest and juice from a lemon, and make sure you save some juice for the glaze.
- Sugars: You will rub the lemon zest into the sugars to start. This helps the lemon flavor come out even more.
- Dried Cranberries: You will chop these up so they are better distributed through the cookie dough.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer add both sugars and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers for 2-3 minutes until it becomes fragrant and the zest is mixed into the sugar. Add the butter and beat until light and airy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon juice and mix again.
Step 2: Slowly mix in salt, baking soda and flour, being careful not to over mix. I usually stop when I still have some flour remnants around the bowl.
Step 3: Chop up dried cranberries and fold into the dough.
Step 4: Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for these. Chill the dough for 2-24 hours.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 6: Place 6 cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. You're looking for a nice light golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool.
Step 7: In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Brush the glaze on each cookie with a pastry brush, or you can also dip the cookies in the bowl. Let the cookie sit for a few minutes for the glaze to set.
Expert Baking Tips
- These cookies are also really good with orange zest and juice subbed in where it calls for lemon.
- You can skip the glaze and roll the cookie dough in sugar.
- I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
FAQ
No, cranberries would not work the same in these cookies.
Yes, these cookies are great as a basic lemon cookie as well.
Yes, just sub in gluten free 1:1 flour where all-purpose is called for.
Storing & Freezing
Lemon cranberry cookies will remain fresh if stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also prep the cookie dough in advance and store it in the fridge for about a week.
You can freeze your cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months with them remaining fresh. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls if you would like to bake them one at a time.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Lemon Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about a whole lemon
- ½ cup (113.5 g) salted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp (1 teaspoon) vanilla
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ cup (90.91 g) dried cranberries, chopped up
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add both sugars and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers for 2-3 minutes until it becomes fragrant and the zest is mixed into the sugar. Add the butter and beat until light and airy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon juice and mix again.
- Slowly mix in salt, baking soda and flour, being careful not to over mix. I usually stop when I still have some flour remnants around the bowl.
- Chop up dried cranberries and fold into the dough.
- Scoop the dough into large balls, I like to use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for these. Chill the dough for 2-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place 6 cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. You're looking for a nice light golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool.
- In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Brush the glaze on each cookie with a pastry brush, or you can also dip the cookies in the bowl. Let the cookie sit for a few minutes for the glaze to set.
ZZ
This recipe is like the fancy chocolates your mom wouldn’t let you have as a child. Only the adults know how appreciate the flavour in this one! 😍
Treasure
Love love love lemon anything! Super easy and wonderfully delicious!!
Courtney Davis
Perfectly tart and sweet! Yum!
Shea
Delicious cookie added to my cookie tin. Light and bright tasting. Everyone loved them!
Elizabeth Bailey
This was one I knew I’d love, but my husband and daughter ended up loving them too. Very flavorful and delicious!
Alexandra
Love at first bite! Don't leave out the glaze, I thought it was so extra but, it turned out amazing! It gave the cookies the perfect zingininess!!
Talia Bowyer
Wow! These are probably my favorite cookies. They are perfectly sweet with just a tiny bit of tart from that lemon glaze! I will be making these year round.
Erica
These cookies are AMAZING! The flavor is so good. Multiple people asked me for the recipe. One question - mine spread and flattened way out. Didn’t matter because they were still delicious, I’m just wondering if you have any ideas why this happened?
Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Brooke Homec
Thanks Erica! My guess would be either your butter was extra soft, or you didn't add enough flour. Those are usually the two culprits of a cookie that spreads too much.
Bailey
Festive, pretty, and delicious!!
Chloe Lavender
Is the butter soften or melted ??
Brooke Homec
Room temperature, not totally soft, just soft enough to be able to mix.
Meg
I can’t wait to try these cookies, I absolutely love the combination of lemon and dried cranberries.
Mai
Turned out wonderfully - I only had a bottle of lemon juice so no zest, and I'd run out of vanilla, AND I couldn't find my attachments so mixed by hand! I let the dough rest overnight, they came out so tasty, will definitely be making again!