Name: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 48 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 navel oranges; 1 cup (130 grams) dried cranberries; 12 tablespoons (170.1 grams) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup (213 grams) light brown sugar; 1/2 cup (170 grams) light corn syrup; 1 large egg; 1 egg yolk; 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams) all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) salt; 2 cups (300 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

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You can enjoy soft and chewy cookies loaded with gooey chocolate chips, orange-infused dried cranberries, and fresh orange zest for days after baking.

These cookies will stay soft and chewy for up to a week thanks to a simple recipe swap.

If you love cookies that are slightly crispy around the edges but soft and chewy on the inside, you've got to make this recipe.

The trick to making a soft and chewy cookie is swapping out corn syrup for the granulated sugar in your recipe.

Cookies made with corn syrup will come out of the oven nice and chewy and will stay soft for up to a week.

Corn syrup makes the best, chewiest chocolate chip cookies. You can leave them plain or you can take them to a new level by adding a bit of fresh orange zest and lots of orange juice-soaked dried cranberries.

The tart orange-infused cranberries pair beautifully with the decadently rich dark chocolate and the toffee-flavored brown sugar cookies.

Cranberry orange cookies are easy to make for an afternoon snack but they also make a wonderful addition to Christmas cookie trays.

Video

Be sure to watch the Chewy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Cookies Video to see how quickly you can make a batch of these cranberry orange cookies.

Let's make some cookies.

Ingredients

dried cranberries and freshly squeezed orange juice: You can simply toss dried cranberries into your cookie dough, but if you want to enhance their texture and flavor, you'll need to soak them in orange juice.
- By soaking the cranberries, they will take on the orange flavor and become really soft and moist, making them a perfect addition to these chewy cookies.
orange zest: When you want an intense orange flavor without adding liquid to your recipe you can zest (grate) the outer orange rind and mix the tiny flecks of orange peel into your batter.
- You'll need to use a Microplane grater to zest your oranges.
- Just be sure you only grate the outer orange peel, not the bitter white pith.
butter: Use unsalted butter that's been softened at room temperature for about 45-60 minutes.
- You can speed up the process, by cutting the butter into small pieces and placing them in your mixing bowl with space around each piece. The small pieces should soften in about 20-30 minutes.
- Or you can grate the butter using a cheese grater. The butter will be softened in about 5 minutes.
brown sugar: Brown sugar is a blend of white granulated sugar and molasses. Adding it to a chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe allows the cookies to remain soft while adding a wonderful caramel flavor.
whole egg and egg yolk: Eggs add structure to a cookie but the egg yolk, contains all of the fat, so adding an extra yolk increases richness, tenderness, and flavor.
flour: Use all-purpose flour with about 10.5% protein, like Gold Medal or Pillsbury Flour for best results.
baking soda: This will add leavening (lift) to your cookies. Make sure to use fresh baking soda from a box that was opened within 12 months.
salt: Salt balances out the sweetness in your cookies.
- NOTE: If you use salted butter, then omit the salt from the recipe.
chocolate chips: Use your favorite brand of chocolate chips. Use semi-sweet chips for a slightly sweeter cookie or bittersweet chocolate chips for a more robust (bitter) chocolate flavor.

Make orange-infused dried cranberries.

Start by thoroughly washing two navel oranges.
Then use a Microplane grater to zest the oranges (grate fine bits of the orange peel not the white pith).
Save the zest to add to the cookie dough.
- You'll get about 2 tablespoons of zest from 2 oranges.
- The zest will give your cookies an incredible, fresh, orange flavor.
Then juice the oranges and pour the juice into a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the juice on high power for 40 seconds.
Then pour it over 1 cup of dried cranberries.
Allow the cranberries to soak in the hot orange juice for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
When ready, pour the cranberries into a fine-mesh sieve, press down on the cranberries, allowing all of the juice to drain off.
Discard the juice. Or refrigerate it and drink it once it's chilled.
Set the plump cranberries aside until needed.

Make cookie dough.

Start by creaming 12 tablespoons of softened butter with 1 cup of packed brown sugar.
Then blend in ½ cup of light corn syrup.
Beat in one egg and one egg yolk.
Toss in the orange zest.
Blend 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour with ½ teaspoon of baking soda and a ½ teaspoon of salt in a separate bowl.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
Stir in 2 cups (12 ounces) of your favorite chocolate chips along with the drained cranberries.

I liked the pure orange flavor of this cookie dough but a splash of vanilla extract would be a nice addition if you like.

Bake cranberry orange cookies.

Scoop 24 portions of cookie dough (about 3 tablespoons each) onto four parchment paper-lined baking trays.
Bake one tray at a time at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163° C) for 16-18 minutes until the edges brown and the tops just begin to dry.
Remove the tray of cookies from the oven.
Repeat, baking the other 3 trays of cookies.
Allow your cookies to cool on the baking trays for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

How to store your chewy cookies?

Place one layer of cookies into the bottom of an air-tight container or zip-top bag.
Cover layer with a sheet of wax or parchment paper.
Add more layers of cookies as desired.
Store at room temperature for up to a week.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes, definitely!
Just be sure to layer the cookies in between wax or parchment paper then wrap them well before freezing.
These cookies will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.

Other flavor combinations:

Chewy White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Just swap out the dark chocolate chips with white chocolate chips.
Chewy Cranberry Orange Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Add ½ cup of walnuts for a nice nutty crunch.
Chewy Cranberry Orange Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toss in ½ cup of Heath Bits O' Brickle to the cookie dough for a more robust flavor.
Chewy Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Skip the cranberries altogether and just make chocolate orange cookies using chips or chocolate chunks.
Orange Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Swap out dried cherries for the cranberries if you prefer a sweeter fruit flavor.

I hope you give these cookies a try and let me know in the comments below what you think.

Printable Recipe

Yield: 24

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Cookies

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies loaded with orange-juice infused dried cranberries are made using corn syrup instead of granulated sugar to keep them soft and chewy for days.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 48 minutes