Iced Cranberry Orange Cookies

Iced Cranberry Orange Cookies

The other day, I was walking through the bakery section of a grocery store and my attention went straight to the cookie display. So many different cookies, so many different flavors and options. My eye caught on to one cookie in particular- it was an orange frosted cookie that had some sort of nuts in it. 

Iced Cranberry Orange Cookies

As I reached for a bag to stock up, I caught myself. Why not make my own version at home? I also knew I wasn't the biggest fan of nuts in cookies, and when it comes to orange in desserts, I LOVE pairing it with cranberries. And so this recipe was born! This cookie is literally a cake in cookie form- the inside of it is so fluffy, soft, and cake like. You can't go wrong!

ICED CRANBERRY ORANGE COOKIES
Yields: 12-14 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 stick of butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water
- 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of orange zest
- 2 and 1/2 cups of flour
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup of dried cranberries

TO MAKE:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until it's light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until mixed well.
2. Add in the eggs, beating after each addition. 
3. Add in the orange juice, orange zest, and orange blossom water and mix until combined. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until combined.
5. Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low until no flour lumps remain.
6. Add in the cranberries and fold into the batter.
7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
8. Using a cookie scoop, drop heaping (but equal) scoops of the cookie batter onto the parchment papers. Make sure there is at least 3 inches between each cookie! They will spread out a bit in the oven.
9. Bake the cookies for around 15 minutes, or until the edges/bottoms are a light golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely.
** For the icing, I just whisked some powdered sugar, heavy cream, and a little bit of orange blossom water and dropped spoonfuls of the icing over each cookie. You can also drizzle the cookies or just dip them into the icing directly. If your glaze is too thick, thin it out with more cream. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.