Cranberry and orange is already a delicious pairing for the holiday season, and it’s even better inside this melt-in-your-mouth pecan cookie<\/strong>. The ingredients are combined using an unexpected and easy method that takes the flavor to another level.<\/em> <\/p>\n Cranberry and orange are a delicious, festive pairing for the holiday season, and it’s captured perfectly in this cranberry pecan cookie recipe.<\/p>\n I use a special technique with the butter in this recipe that makes them absolutely irresistible! <\/p>\n Dried cranberries are steeped in hot melted butter infused with vanilla, spice and orange zest. They become soft as they soak up the buttery, spiced flavors, and stay moist throughout the baking process.<\/p>\n These cookies are\u00a0 perfect to bring to holiday parties, for gifting, and of course, for eating yourself.<\/p>\n –<\/strong> Add the butter, dried cranberries, orange zest, vanilla, and allspice to a medium saucepan, and place it over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, bring it to a simmer. Then cover, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 1 hour.<\/p>\n After the steeping time, the cranberries will be plump and will have soaked up much of the butter. <\/em><\/p>\n –<\/strong> While the cranberries are steeping, add the pecans to a large skillet, and toast them over medium heat just until they’re very aromatic, about 4 minutes. (Watch them carefully, as they can go from just right to burnt in seconds.) Remove them from the heat and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Set aside to cool.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recipe tip: <\/strong>Toasting the pecans is especially important if they are raw. It will enhance their flavor greatly. If you purchased roasted pecans, it’s still a good idea to toast them briefly.<\/em><\/p>\n –<\/strong> Preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F, and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n –<\/strong> When the cranberries are done steeping, pour everything from the saucepan into the food processor bowl with the cooled pecans. Add both sugars, maple syrup, and salt, and blend until the pecans and cranberries are finely chopped. The consistency should be like a very coarse paste. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.<\/p>\n Recipe tip:<\/strong> The cranberry mixture should be at room temperature before adding it to the food processor.<\/em><\/p>\n – <\/strong>Add the eggs and mix until they\u2019re fully incorporated. Then add the flour, baking soda and baking powder, and mix just until you no longer see dry spots.<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Use a 1\u00bc-inch diameter cookie scoop to shape the batter into balls (about 1 tablespoon each), adding them to the prepared sheet pans as you go. They should have a few inches between them, as they will spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n – <\/strong>Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are just starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool on the sheet pans for a few minutes, then transfer them with a flat spatula to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining batter.<\/p>\n –<\/strong> Serve once the cookies have cooled to room temperature.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can make the cranberry pecan cookies gluten-free – just swap out the regular all-purpose flour for Gluten-Free Cup4Cup Flour<\/a>.<\/p>\n Room temperature.<\/strong> Once they’re completely cooled, these cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. If you don\u2019t plan to serve them within the first couple days after baking them, you can freeze them.<\/p>\n Freezer.<\/strong> They can be kept frozen in an air-tight container for up to a month. (Longer is okay, but the longer they\u2019re frozen, the more moisture they\u2019ll lose.)<\/p>\n I hope you find these Cranberry Pecan Cookies as amazing as my family and I do! <\/p>\n![\"Stack](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cranberry-Orange-Pecan-Cookies-SITE-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nA Few Ingredient Notes<\/h2>\n
![\"Pile](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-2.jpg\"\/)
![\"Pile](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n
How to Make Them <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-3.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-24.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-24.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n![\"Dried](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-4.jpg\"\/)
![\"Dried](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Paste-like](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_9827.jpg\"\/)
![\"Paste-like](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_9827.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n![\"Pecan](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-5.jpg\"\/)
![\"Pecan](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"About](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-6.jpg\"\/)
![\"About](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-6.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n![\"Several](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-29.jpg\"\/)
![\"Several](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-29.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-298.jpg\"\/)
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-298.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\nGluten-Free Variation<\/h2>\n
Storing Cookies<\/h2>\n
More Must-Try Cookies for the Holiday Season<\/h2>\n
![\"Stack](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-1-2-300x300.jpg\"\/)
![\"Stack](\"https:\/\/cookingontheweekends.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cranberry-orange-pecan-cookies-1-2-300x300.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCranberry Pecan Cookie Recipe<\/h2>\n