Cranberry-Orange Pinwheel Cookies
ShareA soft pinwheel cookie with a burst of festive color from the cranberry and pecan filling.
You might remember these from last year. They’re a tradition in this house. An absolute must. When I asked The Mr recently what his top 5 favorite cookies were, these were on the list. Of course he couldn’t even give me a list of 5 but that’s not the point. I’ve been making them for Christmas easily the last 6 years or more.
I like making these for the aromas. The orange zest and cranberries give off wonderful fragrances. How something smells is just as important as how it looks and tastes, to me anyway. And these smell incredible. They also have a nice light taste. You can eat cookie after cookie without having a heavy feeling in your stomach like certain other desserts can cause.
These require more work than the average cookie but the end result is worth it. Be sure to check out my tips below for an easier time making these.
Cranberry-Orange Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 C fresh cranberries
- 1 C pecans
- 1/4 C light brown sugar
Cookie dough:
- 1 C unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp orange zest or roughly 1 orange
- 3 C all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a food processor; add cranberries, pecans and brown sugar. Blend well until only small pieces remain. Set aside or cover and chill until needed.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add baking powder, salt, eggs and orange zest. Beat on low/medium for roughly 1 minute. Dough may be lumpy. Add flour by the spoonfuls, mixing on medium speed until ingredients have come together. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
- Divide dough in half. Place one half between two sheets of wax paper. Roll into a large rectangle roughly 1/4-inch thick. Remove top layer of wax paper. Evenly spread out half of the cranberry filling over dough to 1/2-inch from all sides.
- Begin rolling from one of the short ends. Dough may stick at first. Gently guide dough by pulling up on wax paper. Pinch to seal ends. Transfer rolled dough log to a clean sheet of waxed paper. Roll and tape shut. To prevent flat spots, place dough log in 2 large glasses or wrapped in cardboard paper towel insert.
- Chill at least 24 hours. After several hours, gently roll log to check for any flat spots.
- When ready to bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice 1/4-inch thick slices. Space 1-2-inch apart on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are just turning golden. Let cookies rest on tray for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in a covered container for up to a week. Remaining dough may be frozen. Label well with any instructions such as type of dough, baking temp, time, etc.
Notes
Width & length of dough rectangle not specified in directions for Cranberry-Orange Pinwheel Cookies.
It is specified to create a large rectangle that is roughly 1/4-inch thick.
These are delicious. Did not chill the 24 hours & they were perfect.
So glad to hear this, Pam! Thanks for sharing :)
Made 3 batches of these past two weeks, love them! Added to favorite cookies list. Thank you!
So glad to hear you’ve enjoyed them so much, Sharon! :)
I know you use fresh cranberries but will it work if I use dried cranberries and maybe soak them in orange juice first? Also, if frozen cranberries are used, will they need to be thawed out first?
I would recommend following the recipe as is and using fresh cranberries. If you have frozen, do thaw them for best results.
When you suggest storing the logs in two large glasses, is the log vertical or horizontal in the two glasses?
They should be stored laying down. This will help prevent a flat edge on your cookies.
You do a very good job with your explanations and instructions. Your cookies look wonderful and I can’t wait to make them. I love your recipes and I will revisit your blog.
Thank you so very much,
Sandy
Thank you so much Sandy!
Could the pecans be omitted? If so would you up the amount of cranberries?
Absolutely. I’d definitely recommend increasing the cranberries if omitting the pecans, for a thicker filling. Between 3/4 and 1 cup should work. Enjoy! :)
Followed your recipe all the way except that I doubled the Cranberry/Pecan filling and that was the right idea since it filled both roll-up’s perfectly.
These will now become a staple for cookies each year. Light and Not to Sweet.
Also, strongly recommend after rolled to refrigerate overnight or for a long period.
So glad you enjoyed them, Ralph. Thanks for sharing!
Can you freeze the logs and bake at a later date?
So pretty!
Absolutey!
Rachel, I’ve always had a hard time guesstimating rolling out cookies to a specific depth. Would you care to venture a guess on the rectangle dimensions”please?
Roughly somewhere in the 9×16″ range. It doesn’t have to be exact though. Good luck! :)
Once frozen, does the dough need to be thawed before baking? And if so, how long in the fridge? Thank you!
For best result with slicing and baking, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge. Good luck!
Can these be baked then frozen?
They should freeze nicely!
Are the pecans necessary? Or can you use another type of nut?
You can absolutely skip the pecans or swap in a different nut. If you omit completely, you may want to increase the cranberry amount a bit so there is enough filling. Good luck! :)
I do not really like nuts in cookies. Can i just omit? I see the recipe calls for 1 cup, which is a lot, so i wanted to check and see if it’ll be ok just to skip alltogether.
You can absolutely skip the pecans if you prefer. You may want to increase the cranberries to make sure you have enough filling though.
You said what to do with half the dough and filling, but not the rest. Do we repeat for a seperate log, or repeat on top of the original log?
Repeat the process with the second portion of dough. :)
Can’t wait to try theses! What size rectangle do you make when rolling out the dough?
Roughly 10×16 or so… just be sure the thickness is close to 1/4-inch.
I made these for my 35th (!) annual cookie swap this year and WON with them! Totally worth the extra time to properly roll and chill the dough. They are a wonderful compliment to a cookie tray, especially in a sea of chocolate, I particularly love a citrus cookie. They have a nice chewy texture with crisp edges (at least the way I made them), and I increased the filling by about 1/3 and added in a bit of the fresh OJ and a touch of almond extract. I focused more on the height of the dough, but my rectangles were roughly 13x16ish.
So glad you everyone enjoyed them, Marie!
I am so thankful for you and this recipe, Rachel! These cookies have been on my must-make list for four or five Christmas seasons now. Started making them as a novice baker and was really impressed with how delicious they turned out! They have the perfect combination of flavors. And they’re beautiful to boot. You’ve helped me along SO much on my baking journey. This recipe has made it into my family Christmas heirloom book. Happy holidays!
So glad you and your family has enjoyed them so much! Thank you for sharing, Emma! And happy baking! :)