Chocolate cranberry cookies are a soft, sweet delight perfect for the holidays and more.
These cookies are the perfect, easy way to use leftover cranberry sauce beyond spreading it on leftover turkey sandwiches.
Because these are soft and moist these make great cookies to tuck into care packages or otherwise share as gifts.
Cranberry Sauce
Use any whole berry cranberry sauce you have on hand in this recipe. Homemade or store-bought won’t matter.
That orange cranberry sauce that is a family tradition, use it here. Chocolate, orange, and cranberry will combine delightfully in these cookies.
These cookies were tested with a whole cranberry sauce, not the jellied kind. The bits of whole cranberries make the cookies chewy and hearty.
If you want to make something other than cookies, we have an entire collection of recipes using leftover cranberry sauce here.
Nuts
Slivered almonds give these otherwise soft chewy some crunch.
Don’t like almonds? Substitute any roughly chopped nut you prefer. If you use something other than almonds, use vanilla extract rather than the almond extract in the recipe.
Using the Pantry
The recipe uses cocoa for ease. It’s likely in most pantries already and skips the expense of baking chocolate.
The mini chocolate chips add a nice touch but can easily be skipped if there aren’t any on hand.
Substitute regular chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips if desired.
Options for Decorating
These cookies are amazing just as the recipe is written. However, there are ways to make them a bit fancier.
Spread them with cream cheese frosting to put on a cookie platter during the holidays.
Looking for more cookie recipes & ideas? Our Guide to Gifting Cookies, contains 13 recipes and ideas for giving recipes as gifts.
Drizzle the cookies with some melted chocolate
Make small cookies and spread the bottom of one cookie with chocolate frosting and put another cookie on top for sandwich cookies.
Dip half a cookie in melted white chocolate for a beautiful effect.
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Chocolate Cranberry Sauce Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Line cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffly.
- Beat in the egg, cranberry sauce, and almond extract. Mix until completely incorporated.
- Slowly mix in the flour mixture until almost completely combined.
- Fold in the almonds and chocolate chips. Mix until the dough is thoroughly combined.
- Drop by Tablespoons full onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and edges golden brown.
- Remove to cool completely on wire cooling racks. .
Nutrition
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Oh I have an extra can of cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, great timing!
You’re welcome.
Love that you use leftover cranberry sauce! Such a fabulous idea!!
I always have cranberry sauce leftover during the holidays. What a great way to repurpose it. These cookies look decadent and delicious!
What a fantastic cookie idea! I’m going to use some of my leftover cranberry sauce to make these instead of the canned stuff!
Great recipe. They are a soft cookie. I experimented with adding chopped pecans. Worked well. Added a tsp instant coffee powder and a couple shakes of cinnamon and a few sprinkles of red pepper with the flour. Left out the chips because I wanted to test the recipe.