Lemon cranberry icebox cookies combine the buttery taste and texture of shortbread cookies with the tart and zingy flavor of dried cranberries and lemon juice. These cookies are delightfully tender with golden-brown edges that are perfect for dipping into melted white chocolate for a sweet finish. The super festive lemon and cranberry flavor combination is well suited for the winter holidays and rightfully deserves a feature spot in your Christmas cookie box.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Thick, tender centers with crisp golden edges.
- Vibrant and festive lemon and cranberry flavor combination.
- Buttery shortbread-like taste and texture.
- Drizzled/dunked in white chocolate for a lightly-sweet finishing touch.
- Slice and bake style cookies.
- Freezer friendly cookie dough.
Ingredients
- Butter (we like to use Country Crock olive oil plant butter sticks in this recipe, but unsalted butter works as well)
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Salt
- Lemon juice and zest
- Dried cranberries
- White chocolate (optional for dunking or drizzling the cookies for an extra sweet finish)
Tips for Making Lemon Cranberry Icebox Cookies
- Chill the dough before baking. This is a MUST DO. We recommend chilling cookies at least 3 hours before slicing and baking. Otherwise you’ll end up with a puddle of greasy, messy cookies. Plus chilling results in clean slices that better hold their shape.
- When shaping the dough into logs, roll it on a lightly floured surface and flour your hands to avoid a sticky mess.
- Cool the cookies before drizzling/dunking with chocolate so that the chocolate sets and hardens.
- Once you’ve drizzled/dunked the cookies, place them on a cooling rack to give the chocolate time to set. This will allow the chocolate to harden rather than being goopy. It only takes about 30 minutes to set.
How to Make Lemon Cranberry Icebox Cookies
Cream together butter and sugars on medium-high speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and salt on low speed. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cranberries. The dough will be fairly sticky.
Divide the dough in half. Turn out one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll and shape the dough into a log roughly 2-inches in diameter. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Tightly wrap both dough rolls in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or up to 24 hours (we prefer to chill ours overnight to let the lemon flavor really shine!). Do not skip this step!
Once you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Use a sharp knife to slice each roll into 12 roughly equal pieces about ½ inch thick. The dough may flatten slightly when cut, so you may need to reshape the slices back into disks. Place 12 cookies on each baking sheet.
Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly brown. For the best results, bake one sheet at a time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Warm the chocolate for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring between each 30 second burst, until melted or melt in a double boiler. Drizzle or dunk the cookies in the chocolate. Return the cookies to the cooling rack until the chocolate sets, about 30-60 minutes.
How to Store
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days. Chilled and tightly wrapped cookie dough will last in the refrigerator 2-4 days.
To freeze, tightly wrap the cookie dough logs in plastic wrap and store in a freezer Ziploc baggie (or other freezer safe storage container) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator and bake according to recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
- Lemon – try other citrus variations, like orange or blood orange, for a different punch of citrusy flavor.
- Drizzle – try a simple powdered sugar glaze or roll dough in coarse sugar for a different sweet finish.
- Chocolate – sub out white chocolate with dark or semi-sweet chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Tightly wrap the cookie dough logs with plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes. Chilling both deepens the lemon flavor in the cookie dough and helps the dough firm up for easy, clean slicing. Skipping chilling will result in messy, greasy cookie puddles instead of thick and lightly crispy shortbread-like cookies.
No! Feel free to sub out white chocolate with milk or dark chocolate or make a simple lemon icing and drizzle in place of chocolate.
Check out our other holiday cookie recipes
- Pistachio white chocolate cookies
- Chocolate cranberry walnut cookies
- Matcha chocolate chip cookies
- White chocolate peppermint cookies
- Brown butter butterscotch chocolate chip cookies
- Bailey’s chocolate chip cookies
Let us know what you think about our recipe for lemon cranberry icebox cookies by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Lemon Cranberry Icebox Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
- ¾ c butter, softened
- ⅓ c granulated sugar
- ¼ c light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¾ c finely chopped dried cranberries
- 1 c white chocolate, melted (for optional drizzle)
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugars on medium-high speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and salt on low speed. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and cranberries. The dough will be fairly sticky.
- Divide the dough in half. Turn out one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll and shape the dough into a log roughly 2-inches in diameter. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Tightly wrap both dough rolls in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or up to 24 hours (we prefer to chill ours overnight to let the lemon flavor really shine!). Do not skip this step!
- Once you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Use a sharp knife to slice each roll into 12 roughly equal pieces about ½ inch thick. The dough may flatten slightly when cut, so you may need to reshape the slices back into disks. Place 12 cookies on each baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly brown. For the best results, bake one sheet at a time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Warm the chocolate for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring between each 30 second burst, until melted or melt in a double boiler. Drizzle or dunk the cookies in the chocolate. Return the cookies to the cooling rack until the chocolate sets, about 30-60 minutes.
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