Cranberry Cookies are a hearty vintage drop cookie packed with fruit and old-fashioned pantry ingredients. Fresh cranberries provide bright tartness, while dates and raisins bring natural sweetness and a pleasantly chewy texture. Grated orange peel adds a fragrant citrus note that complements the cranberries especially well. Wheat germ, once a particularly popular addition to home baking, gives these cookies a subtle nutty flavor and rustic character. Brown sugar keeps them soft and flavorful, while vanilla rounds everything out. Baked until lightly set, these fruit-filled cookies strike a wonderful balance between tart, sweet, and chewy. They are especially fitting for autumn and winter baking, when fresh cranberries are readily available.
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup raw wheat germ
- 3 cups unbleached white flour (sifted)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 grated orange peel (zest of 1 orange)
- 1 cup raisins
- ⅔ cup dates (chopped)
- 2 ½ cups fresh cranberries (chopped)
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheets
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Step 2: Cream the Oil and Sugar
- Combine the vegetable oil and dark brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat together until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients
- Add the vanilla, milk, and eggs.
- Beat until well combined.
Step 4: Add the Wheat Germ
- Stir in the raw wheat germ until evenly incorporated.
Step 5: Combine the Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 6: Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the remaining wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
Step 7: Add the Fruit
- Fold in the grated orange peel, raisins, chopped dates, and fresh cranberries.
- Mix gently until the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 8: Portion the Cookies
- Drop the dough by large teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving space between each cookie.
Step 9: Bake
- Bake at 375°F for 13 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are set and lightly browned around the edges.
Step 10: Cool
- Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Tips
- Chop the fresh cranberries fairly coarsely so small bursts of tart berry are distributed throughout each cookie.
- Use the finely grated zest of one orange, avoiding the bitter white pith.
- If the dates are sticky, lightly dust them with a little of the measured flour before chopping.
- Don’t overmix after adding the flour; mixing only until combined will help keep the cookies tender.
- For a slightly nuttier version, add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Dried cranberries can be substituted for the raisins for an even stronger cranberry flavor, although the cookies will be sweeter.
- Start checking the cookies at 13 minutes, since baking time will depend on their size.
- These cookies are especially good with coffee, black tea, or hot cider.
- The combination of cranberry and orange makes them particularly well suited to Thanksgiving and Christmas cookie trays.
Nutrition
Calories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 2gFat: 3.3gSaturated Fat: 0.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.9gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 79mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 2.2mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 0.7mg
