Vegan Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies (2024)

The best 8-ingredient Vegan Cranberry Orange Pinwheel Cookies! These eggless & dairy-free cookies combine an orange shortbread cookie with swirls of a fresh cranberry sugar filling for a truly unique & absolutely delicious Holiday cookie.

*Recipe originally shared December 2020 and updated November 2022*

This isn't the first time we have made an epic vegan cranberry dessert. In SGTO's first year we made Vegan Cranberry Orange Sticky Buns that still remain a reader favorite! Since then, we've also made Vegan Gingerbread Scones with cranberry glaze and my personal favorite- Cranberry Orange Smoothie Bowls!

If it isn't clear to you by now, I really really love cranberries. Yes, they are super tart but mix them with a little sugar and some zesty citrus and you have a magical combination that always tastes amazing!

Ingredients:

How to make cranberry orange cookies

These cranberry sugar swirl cookies may look complicated, but we are going to break it down step by step here so you can be 1000% confident making these fresh cranberry cookies!

Make the orange shortbread cookie dough

This orange cookie dough is based on my favorite Vegan Orange Cardamom Sugar Cookies. Except, we skip the baking powder and add more flour to make a dough that doesn't spread when cooked.

First, cream together the butter, sugar, and orange zest until nice and fluffy- about 1 minute. Then add in the orange juice and ground flax seed and mix for an additional 30 seconds or so to combine.

Next, add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl and mix into a thick cookie dough. The dough should not be crumbly, so keep mixing until it holds together (see picture for reference)

Make the cranberry sugar filling

Once the dough is ready, make the cranberry cookie filling! This cranberry sugar filling is super easy and just involves three ingredients- frozen cranberries, sugar, and orange zest.

Add everything to a food processor and blend until the cranberries are finely ground. Since we are using frozen cranberries, a food processor or high-speed blender is necessary for this filling.

Add filling & roll the dough

Next, take the orange cookie dough and roll it into a ½-inch thick rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. This is my KEY trick to making these cookies.

Rolling between parchment paper helps it so the cookie dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin and allows you to roll the dough out completely flat. It's a trick I first used in my Vegan Cinnamon Roll Cookies and is a MUST for the best results.

Then, add the cranberry sugar filling. It's really important to add on the sugar filling while it is still cold/frozen or it may be too hard to roll the dough without the filling oozing out.

Then roll the dough into a tight log. If the dough breaks at all while rolling, just press it back together!

Freeze cranberry cookies, then slice & bake

Once the dough log has been formed, add it to the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Adding the dough to the freezer at this point helps to make those nice evenly cut cookies we are looking for. While the dough is in the freezer, preheat the oven to 350F.

Then, slice the dough into 16 small cookies using a sharp knife and place them onto a tray topped with parchment paper.

Add to the oven to bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookies are slightly browned and cooked through.

Keep in mind, the cranberry pinwheel cookies will continue to bake a bit on the tray once they are out of the oven, so it's okay if they're still slightly soft right out of the oven.

Once the cookies are baked, let them cool completely. Then, top with an optional orange icing and dig in!

FAQ & Tips:

Can I make vegan cranberry cookies gluten-free?

I haven't tried making these cookies gluten-free and I really wouldn't recommend it. The dough really needs the gluten to hold together when being rolled.

Can I use fresh cranberries in the filling?

Yes! Just use the same amount of fresh cranberries, it works just as well to make the filling, though I think frozen gives the cookies a more vibrant color.

Can I freeze the dough and bake these cookies later?

How do I store cranberry orange cookies?

These cranberry orange sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days in a closed container, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

More vegan cookie recipes to make for the Holidays:

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