Zesty Lemon Cranberry Cookies
Easy and delicious holiday cookies with a bright lemon flavor and tart cranberries, perfect for gifting or enjoying at home.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened (Make sure your butter is nice and soft, but not melted.)
- 0.666 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2.333 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup sanding sugar (For rolling the cookies before baking.)
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries, washed and patted dry
- 1 large lemon, zested (Keep zest and juice separate. Zest goes into dough.)
For the Glaze
- 1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large lemon, juiced (Juice is for the glaze.)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in fresh cranberries and lemon zest.
- Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
- Roll each cookie ball in sanding sugar.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While cookies cool, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to make a smooth glaze.
- Once cookies are completely cool, drizzle with lemon glaze and enjoy.
Notes
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay fresh and delicious for about 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze unglazed cookie dough balls. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.