This yummy soft gluten-free orange, cranberry and vanilla cookie recipe has a perfect combination of sweet and tart.  We love the flavor of the cookies.  If you can find orange-flavored dried cranberries, I find they're even nicer than plain dried cranberries in these cookies.  While you can use vanilla extract in these cookies, I highly recommend vanilla bean paste for a stronger vanilla flavor. These are a yummy, easy to whip together gluten-free cookie recipe.  Enjoy! 

Yummy GF Orange Vanilla Cranberry Cookies

My little sous chef who helped make these cookies.   

Orange, Cranberry & Vanilla Cookies

Based on a non-GF recipe by King Arthur Flour Company.

Makes ~48 cookies

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line two pans with parchment paper.  

In a mixer, beat together: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

zest/grated orange peel from 1 large orange (or two small oranges)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Mix in, scraping a couple times: 

1 egg

Stir in, just until combined: 

1 1/2 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix * (for measurements for this amount see below) *

2 cups dried cranberries (orange-flavored dried cranberries are the best if you can find them)

Drop small scoops (heaping teaspoon) of cookies onto parchment-lined pans.  You can make 4 x 6 rows on the cookie sheets.  

Using a flat bottomed glass, dip your cup in sugar, then flatten each cookie until they're 1/4" - 1/2" thick.  You may need to dip and flatten a couple times until you reach the desired thickness.  These cookies don't spread much during baking. 

Dipping & flattening the cookies before baking.

This is her favorite part.

Bake cookies at 425 F for 6 - 7 minutes until barely browned at edges.  If you use a larger scoop, which would give you cookies about 3 x 5 on each pan, you'll want to increase the baking time to 8-9 minutes.  

Let the cookies rest on the pan until mostly cooled, then carefully move to cooling racks to fully cool.  These are delicious fresh, but store well for several days at room temperature in an air-tight container.  Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven - cooling before being moved to wire racks.  I prefer them a little less browned on the bottom than in this photo.

*** GF Flour Mix measurements for this recipe *** 

Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix (1 1/2 cup flour mix):

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sorghum flour (or extra brown rice flour, white rice flour, or GF oat flour)

1/4 cup cornstarch OR arrowroot starch/flour

2 Tbsp potato starch

2 Tbsp tapioca starch/flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Orange, Cranberry & Vanilla Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!