Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Perfect for the holidays, Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies are a one-bite, flavor-filled dessert! Singing of tart cranberry and bright orange, these cookies are a twist on classic thumbprints. Instead of using butter and raspberry jam, these call for cream cheese and cranberry sauce. Whether you're baking for a cookie exchange, Santa, friends, family or yourself, Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies make a tasty treat!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Chilling Time 1

Total Time 1 27

Servings cookies

Calories 81kcal

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

4 oz. cream cheese softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk whole, 2% and nonfat all work!
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Cranberry Filling

1 cup cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon orange zest

Orange Sugar

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest

Instructions

Make the dough

In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and granulated sugar together using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat those into the batter then pour in the milk and white vinegar. Stir until combined.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients the wet ingredients, mixing until completely incorporated.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper, and set aside.
Use a tablespoon cookie scoop (or a regular tablespoon measuring spoon) to measure out the cookies.
Roll the dough into balls using your hands.
Place the rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet. They do not need to be spaced out because they will be chilling on this sheet pan, not baking.
When all the dough has been rolled into balls, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Mix the filling

In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce with the orange zest.
With a spoon, stir until the ingredients are incorporated.
Refrigerate until time to use.

Bake the cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
In a medium-sized glass bowl, combine the granulated sugar and orange zest to make the orange sugar.
Remove the chilled dough balls from the refrigerator.
Transfer the chilled dough into the orange sugar and toss until coated.
Place the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1-2" apart.
Repeat the process until all the cookie dough balls are coated in orange sugar and placed on the sheet pan.
Bake the dough for 8 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a kitchen instrument, like the back of a cookie scooper or the non-muddling end of a muddler, to press “thumbprints” into the warm cookies.
Scoop a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each indention. (Some will be larger or smaller, depending on how you make the indention. Do not worry about them all being uniform.)
Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Cool completely on a wire cooling rack before serving with a glass of milk!

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies.

Obviously, if you make less cookies, the calories per cookie will go up. We liked using the 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to measure ours out so they were relatively the same size.

Store them in an airtight container on the countertop.

Do I need to refrigerate these cookies since they use cream cheese?

Yes, you do not need to refrigerate these cookies after baking. However, if you’re not going to eat them for a few days, I suggest freezing them to ensure the utmost freshness.

How to freeze these cookies

If you want to make the dough in advance and freeze it until later, absolutely! Mix up the dough, and roll it into the balls. Stop before you roll them in the orange sugar, though. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, pop them in the oven and freeze for 2-4 hours. Once frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container.

When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the cookies in the refrigerator. When they're not frozen solid, roll in the orange sugar, and follow the baking instructions.

If you want to freeze the baked cookies, follow the recipe as outlined, but do NOT fill them. Let the cookies cool, then place on a baking sheet and freeze, and then transfer them to an airtight container.

When you’re ready to enjoy them, let the cookies thaw, mix up the filling, heat up the oven, and follow the instructions, starting with the filling.

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