Fresh Cranberry Lemon Cookies

by megan on December 3, 2012

I wish I could fit the words “melt in your mouth” somewhere in the title of these cookies. These fresh cranberry lemon cookies are absolutely amazing. Maybe I’m the last person to figure it out, but lemon and cranberry are a match made in heaven, especially when surrounded by a cookie sweet enough to cut through the tartness. The cookies themselves are buttery and soft, and like I mentioned above, they really do melt in your mouth. I ate one before I added the lemon glaze on top, and also one after, and I have to tell you – don’t skip the lemon glaze. Even Mike, who isn’t the biggest cranberry fan, raved about these cookies. Please try them – I know you’ll love them!

Fresh Cranberry Lemon Cookies

Fresh Cranberry Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, diced

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until moist and fragrant. Add the butter to the lemon sugar and beat until light and fluffy – 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the cranberries by hand. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350. Gently form the dough into balls and bake for 13-15 minutes on parchment lined cookie sheets. Let the cookies cool slightly before moving them to a rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together, and drizzle over the fully-cooled cookies.

from BakeBreak

12 Days of Christmas Treats 2012 from What Megan's Making

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Posted In Cookies

21 comments »

21 Responses to “Fresh Cranberry Lemon Cookies”

1

Blog is the New Black — December 3, 2012 @ 8:34 am

These look great- and so pretty!
2

Erin @ Texanerin Baking — December 3, 2012 @ 10:22 am

I don’t think I’ve ever even tried or seen cranberry lemon. I always do cranberry orange. But you’ve inspired me. Definitely going to try something out with that combo! These cookies look lovely. So festive looking, too.
- megan replied: — December 3rd, 2012 @ 11:23 am
  
  Glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t aware of the cranberry lemon combo
3

Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos — December 3, 2012 @ 10:31 am

I’m so in love with cranberries lately! I’ll bet these are divine!
4

sally @ sallys baking addiction — December 3, 2012 @ 11:32 am

I was just telling my boyfriend yesterday that I want to make another cranberry cookie this holiday season! I bake SO MANY cookies this time of year and i need something “different” – this fits that bill quite nicely Megan! I love lemon cookies too – any lemon dessert, really! Yum.
5

Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts — December 3, 2012 @ 1:45 pm

I just bought a bag of cranberries, with no ideas in mind. Now these look perfect for them!
6

Julia — December 3, 2012 @ 3:07 pm

I keep seeing cranberry cookies all over the web but these might be the best ones yet. I am a huge fan of lemon (along with cranberries) so it’s a great pair!
7

Rachael {SimplyFreshCooking} — December 3, 2012 @ 4:38 pm

Oh yum… This is the perfect Christmas cookie!
8

Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake — December 4, 2012 @ 1:37 pm

These are so gorgeous! and perfect for the holidays!
9

sarah k @ the pajama chef — December 4, 2012 @ 2:52 pm

i made cranberry lemon muffins recently that were amazing. i have no doubt that these cookies would be anything but!
10

Bakeaholic — December 4, 2012 @ 3:37 pm

I will be making these tomorrow for a Christmas Book Club party. I was thinking about doing cranberry orange, but I may just switch to cranberry lemon! I’ll let you know how they turn out and what the ladies say!
Thanks for the inspiration.
- megan replied: — December 4th, 2012 @ 9:26 pm
  
  I hope you like them! And yes, please let me know how they turn out
11

Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes — December 5, 2012 @ 1:37 pm

I’m adding these to my Christmas baking list!
12

Iris Levine — December 6, 2012 @ 7:48 pm

I made these cookies today….YUMMY! If you like sweet and sour, these are the cookies for you. The texture soft and almost cake like and the lemon icing is perfect.
- megan replied: — December 6th, 2012 @ 7:51 pm
  
  I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for stopping back to let me know how they turned out
13

Kristy — December 10, 2012 @ 6:17 am

Thank you!! A friend and I made 29 dozen cookies this weekend and these are by far one of our favorites from the bunch! I know this recipe will become a staple in our annual bakeathon. The lemon flavor is incredible and it is so nice to have something a bit tart among all the other sweet goodies!
- megan replied: — December 10th, 2012 @ 6:55 am
  
  Oh my goodness, 29 dozen? That is impressive! And I’m glad these topped the list Thanks for letting me know!
14

Adrienne McWithey — December 11, 2012 @ 12:42 am

Can you tell me approx. how many cookies one batch makes? Thanks!
- megan replied: — December 12th, 2012 @ 6:17 am
  
  I can’t remember exactly, but I think around 3 dozen. I’ll pay better attention next time I make them.
15

Valerie — December 20, 2012 @ 5:42 am

These cookies are great. I’ve been making them for holiday gifts and they are a big hit.
- megan replied: — December 20th, 2012 @ 6:34 am
  
  I’m so glad you like them!