Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookies are really pretty and great for holiday platters. They taste amazing and don’t need glaze or decorator sugar to be impressive.
Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookie Recipe
This cookie recipe requires a little planning because of chill times. Be sure you plan ahead when making these lovely spiral cookies.
Ingredients you will need:
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt
- Wet ingredients: unsalted butter, sugar, egg, orange zest, vanilla extract
- Filling: dried cranberries, chopped pecans, orange marmalade
Helpful baking tools:
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Baking Tips:
- Chop your filling ingredients small. This will ensure nothing pokes or cuts through the dough.
- Slivered almonds cut into small pieces make a nice substitute for the pecans.
- Use the parchment to help you roll the dough.
- Softened butter means you should take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before using it. You don’t want it too soft.
- For best baking results, bring the eggs out at the same time as the butter.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookies
You won’t be preheating the oven right away because this dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for several hours first.
To make the cookie dough:
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (mixer at medium speed). Add egg and beat well. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
- Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed or with wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended.
- Shape the dough into a flat rectangle. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
- Using confectioner’s sugar or flour, lightly dust a piece of parchment paper and rolling pin.
- Unwrap chilled dough and place on parchment, roll into a 12×9 inch rectangle of uniform thickness.
To Make the Cranberry Orange Filling:
- First make sure all the filling ingredients have been chopped small.
- In a bowl, combine the cranberries, pecans and orange marmalade until well blended.
- Spread cranberry mixture evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges.
- Starting with long edge, tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style to form a log. Tightly wrap in parchment paper and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
To Bake your Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the chilled dough log and using a sharp knife, cut into 1/4 inch slices.
- Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden.
- Immediately slide the parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes before removing from the parchment and placing directly on cooling rack.
If you have an aversion to marmalade, you will probably still love these cookies. There are different types of marmalade too, some less bitter than others. Enjoy!
More Cookie Recipes
Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookies
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Print It Rate ItIngredients
Cookies:
- 2 â…“ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp grated orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
- â…” cup finely chopped dried cranberries
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ½ cup orange marmalade
Things You'll Need
Before You Begin
- Chop your filling ingredients small. This will ensure nothing pokes or cuts through the dough.
- Slivered almonds cut into small pieces make a nice substitute for the pecans.
- Use the parchment to help you roll the dough.
- Softened butter means you should take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before using it. You don't want it too soft.
- For best baking results, bring the eggs out at the same time as the butter.
Instructions
Cookies:
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (mixer at medium speed). Add egg and beat well. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed or with wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended.
- Shape the dough into a flat rectangle. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
- Using confectioner’s sugar or flour, lightly dust a piece of parchment paper and rolling pin. Unwrap chilled dough and place on parchment, roll into a 12×9 inch rectangle of uniform thickness.
Filling:
- In a bowl, combine the cranberries, pecans and orange marmalade until well blended. Spread cranberry mixture evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Starting with long edge, tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style to form a log. Tightly wrap in parchment paper and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Baking:
- Preheat oven to 375 F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled dough log and using a sharp knife, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden (mine were 9 minutes). Immediately slide parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes before removing from the parchment and placing directly on cooling rack.
Nutrition
This recipe is from a cookbook in my collection called 400 Sensational Cookies by Linda Amendt.
Amanda Davis
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Cheryl Rafuse says
?
Chill my rectangle about 2-3 hours. It’s seems rock solid and isn’t rolling out easily. Any suggestions, I’m going to give it twenty minutes and try again.
Bess says
You must roll your cookies and then put in frig.
Amanda says
Excellent! So glad you enjoyed them!
bluamaryllis says
I finally made them and they were fabulous. making them again to give as Christmas presents.
So yummy!
Amanda says
Thank you everyone!
strivingforthriving says
I made very similar (maybe even the same) cookies last year, and they were absolutely delicious. I think I got my recipe out of a magazine, though – Kraft Food & Family, maybe.
isa says
These cookies look so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
April says
Very pretty & I bet the combo was tasty!
Barbara Bakes says
Such a pretty cookie! I love the rolling tip!
bluamaryllis says
I'm new to your blog and I'm enjoying it tremendously. I've added it to my blog roll and passed it along to my friends. I'm definitely going to make to spiral cookies. Thanks!!
Maryse
Jaime says
orange and cranberry go so well together! these cookies are so pretty