Fresh cranberries and lemon make these Super Simple Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies very pretty and absolutely delicious! The delicate cookie is similar to shortbread. And between bites you get a burst of tart cranberry and minced lemon rind. Bright and festive! You can share with the kids, but only if you want……or not.

They are ridiculously easy to make. Once the dough is made and chilled, you can pull out a log to slice ’em up and bake as needed throughout the season. And because they bake up in no time – 12 minutes on average – they may just become your new “go-to” when you need something fast.

Jump to Recipe

Dough logs of Super Simple Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies are ready to be sliced and baked. — Ready to be sliced!

I get a craving for cranberries once the weather starts to turn cool in the fall. It’s not uncommon to find me scouting the grocery stores for them. If you’re looking for another way to use fresh cranberries – perhaps in an appetizer – try my recipe for Jeweled Chestnut Stuffed Dates.

When they are in season, I like to freeze a few bags so I can pull them out over the winter. My husband is especially fond of cranberry sauce, so I try to make it for him a time or two even after the holidays.

Why lemon rind and not zest?

Jeweled Chestnut Stuffed Dates — Cranberry stuffed dates

A fair question. It comes down to texture and taste. I wanted to balance the sweet, the tart and the citrus in these Super Simple Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies. The lemon compliments and lifts the flavor of the cranberries nicely, but I didn’t want it to overpower the cookie. Using minced rind instead of zest delivers bursts of lemon flavor throughout the cookie. You get a taste of brightness here and there instead of the flavor of lemon penetrating and overtaking everything, including the cranberries.

However, if you’re craving a little extra zing, I encourage you to use the lemon drizzle with some minced lemon rind sprinkled on top. I assure you, it won’t disappoint.

Pretty Pans for Baking or Serving

In keeping with my promise to you to only recommend products I know and use, the following recommendation is for a product that I personally use enjoy in my own home. I love kitchen items that can do double duty and the Nordic Ware Bakeware pan shown below does just that.

These beautiful pans have been proudly made in the USA since 1946. They are commercial grade baking pans that can handle anything you throw at them. In addition to these workhorse pans, Nordic Ware also makes a variety of specialty pans, accessories and cookware for enthusiastic bakers! These gold, nonstick pans are both functional and pretty enough to serve on. I love how these Super Simple Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies look again the matte gold finish of these pans.

Super Simple Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies

Recipe by Maria Ostrander Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Chilling time

hour

Baking time

minutes

This recipes yields three logs of cookie dough. Each log yields approximately 28 – 30 cookies.

Ingredients

For the cookies
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. fresh lemon rind, minced (When peeling the lemon, avoid the white pith, which is bitter. Just the yellow rind).
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
3 1/2 cups sifted A.P. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
For decorating the cookies
White decorating sugar and/or lemon drizzle made with…
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon rind, minced

Directions

Prepare the cookie dough
Sift the A.P. flour and then measure out 3 1/2 cups of flour. Add the baking powder and salt and set aside.
Using a stand mixer, on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the lemon juice and lemon rind. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Reduce the speed to low and add the chopped fresh cranberries until just blended.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated.
Rolling and baking
Divide the dough into three equal portions. Roll each portion of dough into a log measuring 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap individually in parchment paper as pictured above and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before slicing. The dough will be fairly easy to handle, but use a little flour on your hands if you need to keep it from sticking.
After the dough has chilled and you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator, unwrap them and discard the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, start at one end of the log and slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices. Work your way down the log and continue slicing until you reach the other end. You should have between 28 – 30 cookies.
Space the cookies out on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between cookies. You should get 15 cookies on each sheet.
Sprinkle with white decorating sugar and bake the cookies for 12 – 14 minutes. How long the cookies bake will depend largely on how close they are spaced together and how cold the dough was when they went into the oven.
When cookies are light golden brown on the bottom, they are ready to be removed from the oven. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. See step 13 for alternate decorating option.
Alternate decorating option
In a small cup, mix together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 2 1/2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice (per log of dough). Drizzle over baked cookies once completely cooled. Finish by sprinkling a little extra lemon rind over the cookies before the drizzle sets.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 1 month. Alternatively, store raw dough logs double wrapped in an airtight container in the freezer. Freeze or bake raw dough logs within three days.

Notes

NOTE. When peeling the lemon rind, avoid getting the white pith, which is bitter. Try to get just the yellow rind.
TIP for storing cookies. Always lay a piece of parchment paper between each layer of cookies. The parchment will keep the cookies from sticking together and looking pristine!