Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

If you love the combination of fresh and tangy citrus and tart cranberries, you’ll love these Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies! They’re gluten-free and egg-free with chopped dried cranberries, flecks of fragrant orange zest and a little freshly squeezed orange juice. As a decadent finish, they’re dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt and more orange zest. These chewy and buttery slice and bake cookies need time to chill, so they’re perfect for making ahead. The almond flour also keeps them moist, so they taste fresh days after baking and freeze perfectly too!

Side view of a chocolate dipped cookie on parchment with other cookies surrounding it.

This recipe makes about 30 cookies, so it’s a quick and easy way to make a large batch of cookies. Since they’re slice and bake, you can also keep the dough refrigerated and just slice off and bake a few cookies at a time, so you always have fresh baked cookies!

For more orange cranberry treats, be sure to check out this almond flour orange cranberry bread or these orange cranberry thumbprint cookies!

Key ingredients and substitutions
How to make cranberry orange icebox cookies with almond flour
Measuring ingredients
Tips for recipe success
Recipe FAQs
More almond flour Christmas cookie recipes

Key ingredients and substitutions

Below are just a few notes on the key ingredients including recommended substitutions. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for all of the ingredients and quantities used.

Ingredients to make almond flour orange cranberry icebox cookies arranged individually.

Almond flour – Fine blanched almond flour works best for holding these icebox cookies together. The coarser texture of almond meal may make these cookies a bit crumbly.
Coconut flour – The almond flour and butter add a lot of moisture to these cookies, so I like to add some coconut flour to absorb any excess moisture. It also helps prevent the cookies from having a greasy texture and gives them a lighter and softer texture.
Cornstarch – I also like to add cornstarch to help achieve a soft, tender and chewy cookie texture.
Butter – This is a butter heavy recipe. Be sure to let it come to room temperature so it can cream together easily with the sugars. I prefer to use unsalted so I can control the amount of salt in the cookies. If you only have salted butter, just eliminate the added salt in the cookie dough.
Orange – You’ll need the zest from one medium-sized orange (about 1 tablespoon of zest) as well as 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed juice.
Dried cranberries – These add to the chewy texture of the cookie and provide a pop of tart flavor. I recommend chopping them into smaller pieces so they evenly disperse in the cookie dough.
Chocolate – The cookies are dipped in melted dark chocolate. I used a good quality dark chocolate bar (70% cacao) but you can also use dark chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate will work too.

How to make cranberry orange icebox cookies with almond flour

These slice and bake cookies (or refrigerator cookies) are super easy to make!

Almond flour and other dry ingredients for the cookies whisked together in a glass bowl. — **Step 1:** Whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

Butter and sugars creamed together in a glass bowl with orange juice and zest on the side. — **Step 2:** In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Orange juice and zest mixed into the butter mixture with the dry mixture in a bowl to the side. — **Step 3:** Mix in the zest and juice.

Cookie dough mixed together in a bowl with a spatula inserted into it and chopped dried cranberries on the side. — **Step 4:** Gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. The dough will be thick.

Dried cranberries mixed into the cookie dough. — **Step 5:** Stir in the chopped dried cranberries.

Cookie dough rolled into 2 logs on a sheet of parchment paper. — **Step 6:** Divide the dough and use your hands to shape into 2 logs about 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Logs cut into 1/2 inch slices and arranged on a parchment lined baking sheet. — **Step 7:** When ready to bake, slice the logs into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Cookies baked and cooling on the baking sheet. — **Step 8:** Bake at 325F for 14-16 minutes, or until the cookies have spread slightly and the edges look set. Let cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melted dark chocolate in a small sauce pan with a spatula inserted into it. — **Step 9:** Melt the dark chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. You can also microwave it in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.

Overhead of cookies on crumpled parchment paper, dipped in chocolate and topped with sea salt and orange zest. — **Step 10:** Dip the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate and top with flaky sea salt and additional orange zest. (This is optional but looks pretty). Pop in the fridge for a few minutes so the chocolate can set.

Measuring ingredients

For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.

Tips for recipe success

Chilling is essential. Unfortunately, chilling the dough is not a step you can skip. The chilling time helps firm up the dough. The coconut flour and cornstarch will absorb some moisture and the butter will solidify. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much and they will bake up in a uniform size.
The dough is forgiving. As you’re slicing the logs into cookies, some dough may crumble a little bit or cranberries might fall out. That’s okay. Just press the cookies back together.
Important not to over bake. You want to bake these cookies until they have spread just a bit and the edges look set. If you wait until they start to brown, they will be over baked. Instead of staying soft, they will just be super chewy.
Let cool completely. These cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool. I like to let them cool for a few hours before dipping them in chocolate.
Chocolate dip is optional. While I say it’s optional, I highly recommend it for that decadent touch. The dark chocolate also pairs so perfectly with the cranberries and orange. You can replace the dark chocolate with melted white chocolate if you prefer.

Side view of an orange cranberry cookie with a bite removed.

Recipe FAQs

What’s the best way to store these cookies?

You can keep these icebox cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. For a chewier cookie, you can store them in the fridge. They also freeze well, and will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Just thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

How long can you keep the dough chilling?

The dough needs about 6-8 hours in the fridge to fully firm up, but you can keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days and just slice and bake a few cookies at a time.

Can you freeze the cookie dough?

Yes, once the dough has chilled in the fridge, you can store the logs in the freezer for up to a month. I usually wrap them twice and store them in a freezer bag. Let thaw in the fridge before slicing and baking.

Can you use fresh cranberries in place of dried cranberries?

I haven’t tested this but I think fresh cranberries would add too much moisture to the cookies. You’ll also lose some of the chewy texture.

How can I make these cookies dairy-free and vegan?

There are no eggs in these cookies, so to make them vegan (and also dairy-free), just replace the butter and dark chocolate with plant-based alternatives. For the butter, I recommend plant based butter that’s labelled ‘best for baking’ and not the spreadable kind.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Follow Crumb Top Baking on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!