Cranberry, Orange, and Sage Slice & Bake Cookies
I’ve made these cookies every year around Christmas for the past few years, and they are always a hit! Cranberry, orange, and sage come together for a light, bright, and slightly herbal flavor perfect for the holidays (or any time of year!). Plus, the slice and bake style is great for making ahead during a busy season.
Prep the Mix-Ins
The cranberry, orange zest, and fresh sage are mixed with granulated sugar to help distribute the flavors throughout the cookies. This just takes two easy steps:
Pulse together 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries in a blender or food processor to slightly break up the cranberries. I use my Magic Bullet for this and it works great!
Mix together 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of orange zest, and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped sage using your hands to gently rub the orange and sage into the sugar to release the flavors.
Mix the Dough
The dough comes together quickly using a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt and set aside.
Beat the butter with your mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the cranberry/sugar mixture, the orange/sage/sugar mixture, and powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. This will be a very thick dough as you can see in the image below.
Shape the Dough
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into two 2-inch diameter logs. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
How do you keep the dough round? I personally don’t think it’s necessary to make these cookies perfectly circular - they usually get eaten faster than anyone would notice any irregularities! However, the dough does flatten out on the bottom while chilling. To help round out the dough before slicing, I roll the logs on a flat surface every 30 minutes or so while they are cooling to help them retain their shape.
Slice the Dough
Slice the dough into about 1/3 inch thick cookies. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats at least 1 inch apart. If the logs flatten out too much while slicing, you can reshape the individual cookies by hand to make them more circular.
If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar. This will give the cookies a wonderful crunchy texture on top.
Bake the Cookies
Bake the cookies at 325°F for 12-14 minutes. If you want the cookies to remain soft, take care not to overbake. You want to remove the cookies from the oven before they begin to brown around the edges. Allow them to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. They will continue to set as they cool.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Slice and bake cookies are great because they can be prepared ahead of time and baked on a different day. The shaped dough logs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If freezing, allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.
You can also store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Cranberry, Orange, and Sage Slice & Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Using a food processor or blender, pulse together 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the dried cranberries until the cranberries have slightly broken up.
- In a separate bowl, add the orange zest and sage to the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and gently rub between your fingers to help spread the flavors throughout the sugar.
- Using a stand or handheld mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add the cranberry/sugar mixture, the orange/sage/sugar mixture, and powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. This will be a very thick dough.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into two 2-inch diameter logs. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Slice the dough into about 1/3 inch thick cookies. Place them on the prepared baking sheets at least 1 inch apart. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until they are just set. These cookies continue to bake and set on the pan after they are removed from the oven, so do not overbake as they may become too crunchy. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage Instructions: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can mix and form the dough (through step 7) ahead of time and slice and bake on another day. Store the raw dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.
