These small-batch cranberry cookies with pistachios bake up tender with crisp edges and chewy middles. Dried cranberries bring tart pops of red, pistachios add buttery crunch and festive green, and the dough comes together fast! Perfect for an easy holiday tray for your next small gathering. A perfect cookie recipe for a weekend cook!
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These are e a no-chill cookie recipe made in one-bowl without extra effort. The red-and-green mix reads holiday right away, but the flavor’s work year-round. The batch is modest (about 12 cookies), so you can bake what you need now and freeze the rest for later.
Who doesn’t love a cookie you can bake whenever the mood strikes with simple ingredients always have on hand! Keep an assortment of dried fruits and nuts cookies on demand.
More tasty and simple cookies include; these small batch french shortbread, easy lemon curd cookies and my classic butter cookies for one.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter (softened) – Room-temperature butter creams smoothly and helps the edges brown nicely.
- Vanilla extract – Rounds out the flavor; almond extract also works (use ¼ teaspoon).
- Dried cranberries – Tart, chewy pops of flavor. Sub: chopped dried cherries.
- Pistachios, finely chopped – Buttery crunch and that holiday-green color. Sub: chopped pecans or almonds.
Yield: about 12 cookies using a 2-tablespoon scoop. Bake on a quarter sheet pan lined with parchment.
Recipe Notes
- Holiday twist options:
- Fold in 1 teaspoon orange zest with the sugar for a bright citrus note.
- Half-dip cooled cookies in melted white chocolate, then sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios and a few cranberry bits.
- Roll dough balls in sanding sugar before baking for sparkle.
- Size control: A 2-tablespoon cookie scoop keeps cookies even so they bake uniformly.
- Browning: Bake until edges are set and just beginning to color (10–12 minutes at 350°F). They’ll finish setting as they cool.
Serving Ideas
Add these to a small dessert board with clementines, cheddar cubes, and salted nuts. For a simple gift, stack 4–6 cookies in a cellophane bag, tie with twine, and tuck in a strip of orange peel or a cinnamon stick.
Can I use fresh cranberries?
Not as-is—fresh cranberries release moisture and can throw off the texture. If you must use fresh, chop finely, pat very dry, and add 1–2 teaspoons extra sugar.
Can I make them smaller or larger?
Yes. For 1-tablespoon scoops, start checking at 8–9 minutes; for 3-tablespoon scoops, 12–14 minutes
Can I cut the sugar?
You can reduce to ½ cup; cookies will be a bit less crisp and more cakey but still tasty.
Process Images: Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Recipe Directions
- Start by lining your baking sheet with parchment paper and preheating your oven to 350℉.
- Cream together the 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Then stir in the 1 ½ cups all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- Fold in the ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup pistachios.
- Then use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop 6 cookie dough balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Repeat the last step until all of the cookie dough has been baked, allow to cool slightly before enjoying!
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Nutrition
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Let us know how it was!Cost Estimate
(Prices are estimates for U.S. grocery stores and will vary by brand and region.)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Estimated Price | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 5 Tbsp | $4.50 / lb | $0.70 |
| Granulated sugar | ¾ cup | $3.00 / 4 lb | $0.25 |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | $6.00 / 2 oz | $0.50 |
| All-purpose flour | 1½ cups | $3.00 / 5 lb | $0.24 |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | $2.00 / 8.1 oz | $0.03 |
| Dried cranberries | ½ cup | $3.50 / 12 oz | $0.73 |
| Shelled pistachios | ½ cup (finely chopped) | $6.00 / 8 oz | $1.88 |
| Total | $4.33 |